The Pentagon is considering the possibility of training the Ukrainian army in the operation of the Patriot air defense system at a military base in the United States instead of Europe. Politico writes this based on its own sources. Since the large-scale invasion of Russia in February, the Ukrainian military has trained on a number of different weapons systems in Eastern Europe, Germany and Great Britain.

But so far, no training has taken place in the United States. However, as the American publication emphasizes, the final decision on the training of the Armed Forces in the United States has not yet been approved.

News that the Pentagon is considering the possibility of conducting exercises on US soil came a day after it was announced that the Patriot air defense complex battery was supplied to Ukraine to protect against Russian missile attacks and air strikes. Also, as CNN reported, the United States will soon begin training Ukrainian personnel in the management and maintenance of the Patriot system, according to a senior Pentagon official.

While it was not specified exactly when the training will begin or how long it will take to master the air defense system, a senior defense official said the training will begin “very soon” and will take “several months”. According to the Pentagon, the Patriot system costs between $450 million and $550 million, depending on the configuration of the platform. The cost of each rocket is about 4 million dollars.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said that after the results of his phone conversation with the head of the US Department of Defense, Lloyd Austin, the Ukrainian military will quickly learn to work with Patriot systems.

“Ukrainian patriotic soldiers will quickly master these systems (Patriot — ed.). They have proven their skills time and again,” he wrote on Twitter.

We remind you that on December 21, the USA announced a new military aid package to Ukraine. In particular, it included a battery of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile complex with missiles. Source