WASHINGTON Jan 5 The Pentagon confirmed that the new military U.S. assistance to Ukraine will be made public on Friday and will include Bradley infantry fighting vehicles.
Local media previously reported that the aid will be announced on January 6, the package will cost a record $3 billion and will include 50 infantry fighting vehicles.
«I can confirm that another round of security assistance to Ukraine is expected tomorrow and, as the White House has indicated, the new assistance will include Bradley combat vehicles,» Defense Department spokesman Patrick Ryder said.
He confirmed that the Ukrainian military will be trained in the use and maintenance of modern Western armored vehicles.
Earlier, Russia sent a note to NATO countries over arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation stated that the NATO countries are «playing with fire» by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in December that the West seeks to prolong military operations in Ukraine as much as possible in order to weaken Russia.