Kyiv, January 21, 2015. American military advisors will train Ukrainian soldiers starting from this spring. Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges, Commander of the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe, told this during the press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.
During his first visit to Ukraine as the Commander of the U.S. forces in Europe, Lieut. Gen. Hodges met with the military leadership of Ukraine. “I was impressed by the readiness of both military and civil leadership to change and reform. This was clear during our discussions with the Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Lieut. Gen. Anatoliy Pushnyakov and with the Acting Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Lieut. Gen. Oleksandr Kryvyenko, as well as during meetings with Ukrainian politicians,” Lieut. Gen. Ben Hodges told during the briefing.
Lieut. Gen. Hodges has also told about his visit to the Main Clinical Military Hospital in Kyiv and expressed his fascination with military doctors and relatives of the soldiers. “Professional medical aid and family support during the war is no less important on the pathway toward victory,” General noted.
Ben Hodges assured that the United States and the European Union are adamant in their support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and will not lift sanctions until Russia stops its military support to the pro-Russian militants in Donbas. The amounts of arms, ammunition and military equipment that comes across the Ukrainian-Russian border makes it clear that the Government of Russian Federation is behind these supplies.
“I completely agree with the words from the State of the Union address that President Barack Obama delivered on January 20. The United States of America support Ukraine and uphold the principle that bigger nations cannot bully the small,” the General concluded.
