United States to allocate $200 million to provide training and weapons to Ukrainian army 0305152

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Defence & Security News - Ukraine
 
United States to allocate $200 million to provide training and weapons to Ukrainian army.
The U.S. House Armed Services Committee passed on Thursday the bill to fund the U.S. military in 2016, which envisages the allocation of $200 million for providing weapons and training to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty reported.
     
The U.S. House Armed Services Committee passed on Thursday the bill to fund the U.S. military in 2016, which envisages the allocation of $200 million for providing weapons and training to the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty reported. Soldiers talk at the opening ceremony of the Ukrainian-U.S. Peacekeeping and Security command and staff training in western Ukraine.
     
A total of 60 members of the committee voted for this proposal, two voted against it. This matter is subject to approval by the U.S. House of Representatives, which will consider it in May.

“The US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize the Secretary of Defense, in concurrence with the Secretary of State, to provide assistance and sustainment to the military and national security forces of Ukraine through September 30, 2016,” the bill stated.

The U.S. troops, belonging to the 173rd Airborne Brigade was deployed in Yavoriv in western Ukraine to begin the training program, which is being called “Fearless Guardian,” and will be conducted for the newly formed national guard under the Contingency Security Fund.

Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed and another two suffered injuries in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in the southeast May 1, 2015, spokesman for the ATO operation Andriy Lysenko said.

According to Lysenko, militants continue to use armament systems prohibited by the Minsk agreements. "There have been 15 attacks by use of 122mm mortars, five by cannons and three by tanks on our positions," he said.

Lysenko added, that attacks on Ukrainian positions continued in the Donetsk airport area, and a sniper was firing on Ukrainian servicemen on the outskirts of Horlivka. The town of Shchastya was attacked in Luhansk region, Lysenko said.