The United States has begun training Ukrainian troops in maintaining US howitzers supplied by Washington to Kyiv, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced at a regular briefing for reporters, TASS reported.
"On the training front, more than 310 Ukrainian soldiers now have completed M777 training. There is another 50-plus that are currently going through yet another course. Let's see. We've also started a two-week M777 maintainer course and we expect that the first class will begin training today - that's the plan. So that's a new development, to help them with maintenance on the howitzers, now that they're getting so many in the country," he said.
"We know that long-range fires are important. These howitzers are already in the fight - not all of them but, I mean, we know that some of them are - and the feedback we're getting from the Ukrainians is that they're very valuable," Kirby added.
Earlier, Washington announced it was transferring 155 mm M777 howitzers to Kyiv.
ZZ/PR