The United States has started training Ukrainian troops in artillery and radar systems at US military installations in Germany, the Pentagon’s top spokesman said on Friday.
Efforts are concentrated on initial artillery training provided to a small number of Ukrainian forces elsewhere. They will also include training in the radar systems and armored vehicles that the United States recently promised kyiv, Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters.
The Florida National Guard will provide “the bulk of the training,” as its troops had been training Ukrainian troops before the Russian invasion on Feb. 24, Kirby said.
“We are told that the recent reunion of these Florida National Guardsmen with their Ukrainian colleagues was an emotional reunion due to the strong bonds they formed while living and working together before temporarily separating in February,” Kirby said.
The United States is training 100 more Ukrainians in howitzer artillery systems in Europe in a five-day course, according to the Pentagon.
Washington has said it will send a total of 90 howitzers to the country as part of two security assistance packages worth $800 million each.
Another 15 Ukrainians are undergoing radar training for about a week.
They will then all return to Ukraine to train soldiers on how to use the systems.
