Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said Tuesday that Ukrainian troops have arrived at the Fort Sill military base in Oklahoma, U.S., and have begun training in using and maintaining Patriot missile systems.
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At a press briefing at the Pentagon, the Press Secretary told reporters, "Those troops have arrived at Fort Sill and have begun their training."
According to Ryder, the "training will last several months and train upwards of 90 to 100 Ukrainians in the use of the Patriot missile system."
The Patriot surface-to-air missile system provided by the U.S. to Ukraine will be delivered once training is completed. Germany has also promised a Patriot missile system to Ukraine, while the Netherlands has expressed its intention to provide one as well.
The Press Secretary's statements came ahead of the Ukrainian Defense Contact Group meeting, which is being held this week at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
On this occasion, Ryder reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley would travel to Germany on Wednesday to chair the meeting.
Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov earlier this month called the U.S. role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine with the decision to train Ukrainian troops at Fort Sill "de facto involvement" on behalf of Kiev.