Ukraine's military creates new units to equip with Western military hardware

As Ukraine awaits new military aid, its military is creating new units that will be equipped with Western-provided equipment.

“We are creating new military units. And our next actions will depend on their combat readiness. Therefore, Western assistance is extremely important,” the Joint Forces Commander Lieutenant-General Serhii Naiev told CNN.

The military has to train units on the new equipment and integrate it into existing formations, Naiev said.

Several countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., are reportedly training Ukrainian soldiers and officers.

“The whole unit should be equipped with the same vehicle, so a whole battalion is equipped with Bradley, if we get it, or with Leopards,” Naiev said.

The White House announced on Jan. 6 the U.S. would provide Ukraine with 50 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles equipped with 500 TOW anti-tank missiles and 250,000 rounds of 25 mm ammunition.

On Jan. 20, defense ministers from some 50 countries met for the eighth summit at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss further support for Ukraine.

At the summit, Germany dodged the decision to provide the long-anticipated Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, despite promises to reach a final decision by then and mounting pressure from the allies.