US to hand over 3 island-class patrol boats to Ukraine in November
Oct 23, 2021
Washington [US], October 23 (ANI/Sputnik): The US will send to Ukraine three Island-class patrol boats in November, Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Oksana Markarova said on Friday.
Earlier in October, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said that two Island-class patrol boats will be transferred from the US to Ukraine during the third quarter of 2021, and another one is to be delivered by the end of the year.
"Today in Baltimore, at the US Coast Guard base, the fifth crew of Ukrainian sailors was declared ready to serve on the Island-class patrol boat called Kubrak. Six weeks of training with the best US instructors and in November three boats will be sent from Baltimore to Ukraine in addition to the two that are already in our military service," Markarova wrote on Facebook.
The ambassador noted that this event shows the strategic level of partnership in the sphere of defense between Ukraine and the US, as well as a special focus on the navy and the development of Ukraine's capabilities in the Black and Azov Seas.
"At sea, on land and in the air, we are building up our defense capabilities and moving towards NATO standards," Markarova added.
Island-class boats are fast patrol boats of the US Coast Guard designed for patrolling and search and rescue operations in coastal waters. In September 2018, two of these boats were transferred to the Ukrainian Navy. (ANI/Sputnik)
