The Fearless Guardian-2015 joint drills involving Ukrainian National Guard troops and U.S. paratroopers have started in western Ukraine’s Lviv region, and are the first U.S. training exercises for Ukrainian troops since Ukraine gained independence.
Still hesitant about sending lethal military aid to Ukraine, the United States will assist in training nearly 900 Ukrainian soldiers over a six-month period, Ukraine Today reports.
Ukrainian servicemen agree that there is a lot to be learned from the experience of the U.S. paratroopers.
Andriy Gordiychuk, one of the U.S. troops, but originally from Ukraine, said that he is ready to help Ukrainian forces, who have been fighting against Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine for over a year, thus supporting the country’s territorial integrity.
According to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, such international cooperation will help protect independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, freedom, and democracy not only in Ukraine, but also in Europe and around the globe.
The joint exercises are being harshly criticized by Russian authorities.
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