US forces to train Ukrainians on US-provided artillery systems
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The training will be held "within days" in a location outside of Ukraine.
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A Ukrainian soldier holding a Javelin anti-tank missile system during exercises in 2021.
US troops will soon begin training their Ukrainian forces on artillery systems provided by the US as part of an $800 million lethal supplies package.
The training will be held "within days" in a location outside of Ukraine. Officials from the US Defense Department stated that they would employ a "train the trainer" strategy.
On his account, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, on Monday, said that the United States announced that it would send 18 155mm towed howitzers to Ukraine.
Furthermore, the cannons will be supplied by Army and Marine Corps units. Officials from the Pentagon declined to identify the specific weapon systems, which are most likely the M-198 or the newer M-777 howitzers, both of which are towed 155mm guns.
Assuming the Ukrainians send troops who are already familiar with the fundamentals of field artillery, the training should only take a few days, according to US officials. According to Kirby, Ukrainian artillery generally employs 152mm cannons, which are slightly smaller than US systems.
It is worth mentioning that Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov has recently stated that the US has supplied Kiev with weapons worth $1.65 billion over the last month and a half.
The diplomat went on to say that it is obvious that Kiev, which has no control over the militants' actions, will be unable to ensure the safe storage and non-proliferation of these weapons, which may then end up in the shadow markets of other countries.
This adds to the package of billions of dollars of arms and military equipment sent to Kiev since the war began, not to mention the military training provided to Ukrainian soldiers.
The US government has provided Ukraine with $2.3 billion in security assistance since President Joe Biden took office last January, including thousands of anti-tank and anti-aircraft missile systems.
