CAIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2022) The Ukrainian military personnel will be trained to operate Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems in Germany and another unnamed country, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday, citing a US official.
The US will provide additional military assistance to Ukraine worth about $1.85 billion, which will include Patriot air defense systems, which Kiev requested earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated earlier in the day.
"Training of the Ukrainian soldiers in handling the Patriot air defense system will be held in Germany and another country," a US official told Al Jazeera.
According to the source, the aid package included ammunition for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems and anti-radar missiles, the media said.
The US State Department specified earlier in the day that $1 billion will be allocated to Kiev by the diplomatic department, while another $850 million will be given by the Pentagon. The announcement of the new massive aid package was made during a visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Washington.
Western countries have been ramping up their military support for Kiev since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine. In April, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian armed forces. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov, in turn, stated that arms provision was undermining prospects for a future peace process.
