White House highlights Dnipro as example of Russia’s ‘brutal and barbaric war’
Mike Brest
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The Russian strike that hit a Dnipro apartment building, killing nearly four dozen Ukrainian civilians, was “another example” of Russia’s “brutal and barbaric” war, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Forty-four people were killed in the strike over the weekend, including five children, while another 79 were injured, including 16 children, according to the most recent release from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. It was one of the deadliest strikes for civilians since Russia invaded Ukraine last February.
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“This weekend’s strikes are another example, as you’ve heard me say, of the brutal and barbaric war that Russia is waging against the Ukrainian people,” Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday. “And we’ve seen this over and over again for about 10 months now, almost 11 months now. The United States will continue to provide … Ukraine with what it needs to defend itself. That is incredibly important. That is a promise that the president made to President [Volodymyr] Zelensky when he was here not too long ago, and that’s including air defense systems.”
Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced its newest military aid package to Ukraine worth a total of $3.75 billion, while Jean-Pierre’s comments come as U.S. troops expand their training of Ukrainian forces.
Soldiers from U.S. Army Europe and Africa Command’s 7th Army Training Command began training roughly 500 Ukrainian troops over the weekend. It’s taking place in Germany, and the goal is to get these service members back on the battlefield between one and two months from now. Additionally, the Department of Defense will also train Ukrainian forces on the Patriot Missile System at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
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Fort Sill officials confirmed a “contingent” of Ukrainian soldiers arrived days ago. Roughly 90-100 Ukrainian troops are participating in the training that will teach them how to operate, maintain, and sustain the defensive system, and it is expected to last several months.
U.S. forces have already trained more than 3,100 Ukrainian troops on how to use and maintain the weapons and other equipment they’ve already provided, including howitzers, armored vehicles, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System. Other countries have conducted similar training on the weapons they’ve given as well.
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