The Russian government has condemned the presence of US military trainers in Ukraine, as hundreds of US paratroopers arrived to train the Ukrainian military as they battle against pro-Russian separatists.
"Soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade have been arriving over the last week," a US army spokesman Donald Wrenn told AFP. "We will have about 300 soldiers from the brigade on the ground providing the training that will last over the next six months."
The US army website also said troops would be training the National Guard of Ukraine, with Major Jose Mendez saying,
"We will be conducting classes on war-fighting functions, as well as training to sustain and increase the professionalism and proficiency of military staffs.”
The move was criticised by Russia with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling journalists in Moscow,
"The participation of instructors or specialists from third countries on Ukrainian territory, where the domestic Ukrainian conflict is unresolved ... could destabilise the situation."