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| Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges |
U.S. Army Europe
Commander Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said a battalion of U.S.
soldiers would train three battalions of Ukrainians from the Interior Ministry
at the Yavariv training center in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv .
Hodges' remarks
came amid an intensification of fighting in eastern Ukraine ,
and as French, German, Ukrainian and Russian leaders met Wednesday in Minsk , Belarus
The plans for the
training were made many months ago, however.
Hodges said
Americans will teach the Ukrainians how to better defend themselves against
"Russian and rebel artillery and rockets." Training will also include
securing roads, bridges and other infrastructure, treating and evacuating
casualties, and operating in an environment where Russians are jamming
communications.
Hodges accused
Russian President Vladimir Putin of arming and fomenting the pro-Russia separatists.
"I think it's
very important to recognize these are not separatists, these are proxies for
President Putin," Hodges said. "It is very obvious from the amount of
ammunition, the type of equipment, that there is direct Russian military intervention
in the area around Debaltseve."
The rebels are
waging an offensive to take Debaltseve, a government-held railway junction that
lies between the rebel-held cities of Luhansk and Donetsk .
"I do worry
that if they are successful in Debaltseve that then they will shift their
attention to Mariupol," Hodges said, referring to the strategic port city.
"I don't know that, but I am concerned that that is something that they
might do. They certainly have a large number of Russian forces, 10 battalions,
on the border of eastern Ukraine ."
He spoke during a
visit to NATO's Multinational Corps Northeast Headquarters in the Polish city
of Szczecin .
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