WASHINGTON (AFP) – The US Defense Department said Friday it would give $200 million to Ukraine to help the war-torn nation bolster its military’s defensive capabilities.
The amount is part of a series of Pentagon payments now totaling more than $1 billion to Ukraine since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.
Ukraine is fighting a separatist insurgency in its Russian-speaking eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
All of the military aid, which comes from the Pentagon’s security cooperation funds, will be non-lethal in nature.
‘‘The added funds will provide equipment to support ongoing training programs and operational needs, including capabilities to enhance Ukraine’s command and control, situational awareness systems, secure communications, military mobility, night vision, and military medical treatment,’’ the Pentagon said in a statement.
