US will include Patriot systems in new military aid package — media
Patriot air defense systems and precision-guided bombs for fighter jets will be included for the first time as part of a major $1.8 billion package of military aid to Ukraine from the United States.
The Associated Press writes about this with reference to the statements of American officials against the background of the announced visit of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
The publication reported that American officials described the details of the aid on condition of anonymity since it has not been announced yet.
This assistance shows that the United States is expanding the types of advanced weapons. It will be sent to Ukraine to strengthen its air defense against russian missile strikes.
The aid package, expected to be announced on December 21, will include $1 billion worth of weapons from Pentagon stockpiles and another $800 million through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds arms, ammunition, training, and other assistance.
The publication notes that it is not known when the Patriots will arrive on the front line in Ukraine. Because the US military must first train the Armed Forces to use the high-tech system. The training is expected to last several weeks.
Reference
On December 15, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, said that, in his opinion, russia is mobilizing 200,000 new troops and may try to capture Kyiv as early as January.
Also, on December 15, the Pentagon announced that it is expanding the training of the Ukrainian military at the US base in Germany.
The US military is currently training several hundred Ukrainians.
The new plan would expand that to about 500 soldiers a month, and training would include coordinating infantry maneuvers with artillery support.
