WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2022) Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand confirmed on Thursday that Canada's military is training several Ukrainian troops on how to use howitzer artillery.
"Last week in conjunction with our American allies, we stepped up our support by delivering M777 howitzers to Ukrainian forces, and I can confirm that Canadian soldiers are now training their Ukrainian counterparts in the use of these weapons," Anand said during a press briefing at the Pentagon alongside US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Anand did not specify where the training is taking place for the four howitzers it donated to Ukraine.
A senior US defense official said in earlier remarks that the United States is currently training a second group of more than 50 Ukrainians on how to operate the howitzers and the Q-64 mobile radar. It is expected to last for about a week.
More than 60% of the 90 howitzers recently committed to Ukraine by President Joe Biden have already been delivered to the country, the defense official said.
Biden has asked Congress for $33 billion in supplemental funds to support Ukraine, including $20.4 billion in military and security assistance. It comes on top of two military aid packages worth $800 million each, recently announced by the Biden administration.
On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk requested help in defending themselves from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Russia has said that the aim of the special operation is to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and that it is targeting the country's military infrastructure only.
