Pentagon begins 2nd phase of support for Ukraine

The Pentagon on Monday began the second phase of training and equipping programs for the Ukrainian forces, a Pentagon spokesman said.

The programs, known as Fearless Guardian, cost the U.S. government 265 million U.S. dollars. The second phase followed the U.S. training of Ukrainian national guard forces in April this year, Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement.

During the second phase, the U.S. military would train up to five battalions of Ukrainian Ministry of Defense personnel and one battalion of special operations forces personnel in western Ukraine, said Davis.

About 300 soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade of the U.S. Army as well as North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies and other U.S. personnel were participating in the training.

"This is part of our ongoing efforts to contribute to Ukraine's long-term military reform and professionalism, and to help improve Ukraine's internal defense capabilities and training capacity," said Davis.
 Xinhua -china.org.cn
24/11/15