According to the Pentagon, Ukrainians will train on American Patriots

After VOA and other media outlets first reported the news on Tuesday, the Pentagon has now confirmed that American personnel will start instructing Ukrainian troops on the Patriot missile defence system at Fort Sill in Oklahoma later this month.

The training at Fort Sill could start “as soon as next week,” according to Brigadier General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, who made the announcement during a briefing on Tuesday at the Pentagon.

A Patriot battery would give Ukraine another means of protecting its citizens from Russia’s ongoing aerial assaults, according to Ryder. “The training will give about 90 to 100 Ukrainian soldiers the skills they need to operate, maintain, and support the defensive system,” he said. The training is expected to take several months.

The field artillery school for the American Army is located at Fort Sill.

Ryder stated that in order to get Ukrainian soldiers back on the battlefield as soon as possible, the U.S. would seek ways to “accelerate the training timeline.”

Last week, the Pentagon said it would send 50 Bradley Fighting Vehicles to Ukraine as part of a new round of military aid to Kyiv. These vehicles will help Ukrainian soldiers fight off a Russian invasion.

Ryder said at the briefing on Tuesday that the Ukrainians would learn how to use Bradleys as part of their combined weapons training in Germany.

According to an official document provided to VOA before Friday’s announcement, the Bradleys will be equipped with thousands of rounds of ammo as well as hundreds of TOW anti-tank guided missiles.

Ryder declared last week that “it’s not a tank, but it’s a tank killer.”

committed by allies

Leaders of NATO and the European Union have reaffirmed their dedication to helping Ukraine with military assistance to fend off Russia’s nearly one-year invasion, including the provision of cutting-edge air defences and other tools.

According to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, Ukraine should receive all the military hardware required for self-defense since “they also defend the core principles of the U.N. Charter and of the fundamental rights of international law.”

Following a meeting in Brussels, von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel joined NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in praising recent announcements by the US, Germany, and France over intentions to supply Ukraine with new types of armour and armoured vehicles. He emphasised the necessity of continuing to concentrate on the training, upkeep, and ammunition for the current systems that allies have provided to Ukraine’s military.

“Support for Ukraine has been provided by NATO partners and EU members, and that has been the proper course of action because this also affects our security, Stoltenberg says that we must naturally help Ukraine by using our resources, such as our stocks and weapons.

While Ukrainian forces have been able to cause damage to the Russian military, he continued, Russia should not be underrated. He claimed that Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has not shown any signs of altering “the overall purpose of his ruthless assault against Ukraine.”

“The Moscow government desires a different Europe.” Democracy and freedom are threats to its desire to rule over its neighbours, according to Stoltenberg. This will have long-term effects on our security, so we must keep bolstering NATO’s crucial transatlantic ties. The alliance between NATO and the European Union has to be strengthened further. Additionally, we need to step up our assistance to Ukraine.

Battle of Bakhmut

The majority of Soledar, a tiny salt mining town in eastern Ukraine that is situated in one of the hotspots of battle, is “probably now under control,” according to the British Defense Ministry on Tuesday.

Both sides have suffered significant losses in the battle for Soledar.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, spoke about the devastation in Soledar on Monday night.

He claimed that there were hardly any complete walls left.

Zelenskyy continued, “We have earned more time and more power for Ukraine because of the tenacity of our fighters there in Soledar.”

Bakhmut, which is around 10 kilometres from Soledar, is probably Russia’s primary target in Ukraine, according to the British Defense Ministry’s most recent daily assessment.

Even though Bakhmut is under more and more pressure, the British ministry said that Russia is unlikely to encircle the town any time soon because Ukrainian forces have strong defensive lines and control over supply lines.

The battle in Bakhmut was described as “very brutal” by a senior U.S. military officer who talked to reporters on condition of anonymity on Monday.

The official added that the fighting was “savage” and that Russian mercenary forces sacrificed their weaker soldiers by placing them on the front lines. “And what I mean by savage is that you’re talking about thousands upon thousands of artillery rounds that have been delivered between both sides,” the official said.