Ukraine's defense minister: Ukrainian Navy will get patrol boats from U.S. in 2018

Ukrainian Defense Minister, General of the Army Stepan Poltorak has announced that more vessels, including patrol boats from U.S. partners, will be handed over to Ukraine's Navy this year.

"In 2018, the Navy will extend combat capabilities; a naval command, the Marines' command will be formed. We must complete the formation of a second marines' brigade. In addition to those boats that have just been transferred to the Navy, we expect to receive patrol boats from our partners from the United States this year," Poltorak said amid official Ukrainian Navy Day events in Odesa on July 1, an UNIAN correspondent said.

What is more, Ukraine is to complete building of assault boats, work will continue to build a corvette, develop and manufacture armored artillery boats, he said.

The year 2018 is not easy both for the Navy and the entire security and defense sector of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"We all together have set ambitious goals before ourselves – joining the European Union and NATO. The [draft] law "On National Security" passed by the Verkhovna Rada is a very powerful signal and proof of the irreversibility of the reforms that have been taking place in the security and defense sector. The irreversibility of our path, which we have chosen for ourselves, the path of a democracy," Poltorak stressed.

Read alsoUkraine's Navy Day marked in Odesa on July 1

As UNIAN reported, small-sized armored artillery boats of the Project 58155 [Gurza-M class] "Vyshgorod," "Lubny," "Kremenchuk," "Nikopol," built by private joint-stock company "Shipbuilding Plant Kuznya on Rybalsky," were transferred to the Ukrainian Navy on Navy Day on July 1.

In April, the press center of the Ukrainian Navy Command reported that the United States would hand over to the Ukrainian Navy two 110 ft (34 m) Island-class patrol boats used in support of the U.S. Coast Guard's maritime homeland security.