The package will be announced “soon,” he said during a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Ministry chief Austin, and will include additional Patriot missiles and other air defense systems, as well as other major types of munitions. The package will be one of the most expensive ever announced. Austin said the equipment will be delivered on an “accelerated schedule.”
In addition to the situation on the front and aid to Ukraine, Austin, Omerov and the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, also spoke about next week’s NATO summit in Washington and the “bridge” to Ukraine’s membership in the alliance. As Pentagon spokesman General Pat Ryder put it, the “bridge” is, among other things, preparing the Ukrainian military for NATO participation by increasing long-term capabilities and interoperability with allies.
Ryder also announced that Ukraine will receive its first F-16s this summer, and some Ukrainian pilots have already completed the first phase of training in the United States and are continuing it in Europe.
The Ukrainian delegation, headed by Yermak, also met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on Tuesday.
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