The Pentagon announced Tuesday it would send $250 million in military aid for equipment and training of Ukraine’s armed forces.
MANY MILITARY AIM WILL BE SENT
The new funds will bring total military aid given to Ukraine to $1.5 billion since 2014, and will provide its naval forces with training.
The aid will also increase the capabilities of Ukraine’s land forces by providing sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, radars, and night vision equipment.
“This reaffirms the long-standing defense relationship between the United States and Ukraine,” Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Carla M. Gleason said in a statement.
The announcement comes amid concerns about Russian activity in Eastern Europe, particularly its support for separatist forces in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine following a controversial referendum.