The US Department of Defense has supplied at least eight counterinsurgency and military-planning experts to Kiev to help Western-backed Ukrainian forces engaged in conflict with Russian-speaking populations in eastern Ukraine, a Pentagon official said.
One of the teams will help Ukraine with planning tactics and techniques while gathering information on needs of Kiev security forces, Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez told the The Washington Times. The other team will assess how the United States can offer medical assistance to Ukrainian forces.
The staff arrived in Kiev last week and are in the process of evaluating the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, according to the Times.
"With support from Ukraine and the State Department, the security assessment team will also explore the potential of expanding our current Office of Defense Cooperation in Kiev, to enhance Ukraine's military capabilities and interoperability," Lainez told the newspaper.