--- description: The United States will expand its current training programs for troops in Ukraine to include army and special operations military forces title: U.S. to Train More Ukrainian Troops image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc97dd2ef04d148b/69885c6f196cf499c1037426/us-trains-ukrainian-soldiers.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Foreign Policy](/tag/foreign-policy/) ## Foreign Policy Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # U.S. to Train More Ukrainian Troops  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2015 9:21 PM CUT  A US serviceman teaches Ukrainian soldiers how to give emergency medical aid during the Rapid Trident/Saber Guardian 2015 military exercises at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre base outside Lviv, Ukraine on July 24, 2015. A US serviceman teaches Ukrainian soldiers how to give emergency medical aid during the Rapid Trident/Saber Guardian 2015 military exercises at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre base outside Lviv, Ukraine on July 24, 2015.Pavlo Palamarchuk—AP  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Jul 24, 2015 9:21 PM CUT The United States will expand its current training programs for troops in Ukraine to include army and special operations military forces, the State Department [said Friday](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/us-ukraine-crisis-usa-idUSKCN0PY28A20150724?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm%5Fsource=twitter "undefined"). The training will likely focus on lessons in tactics and combat medicine, Reuters reports. The expanded program will not include any lethal weapons or aide, a State Department spokesman told reporters. The U.S. began providing security assistance to Ukraine in 2014, with troops training Interior Ministry national guard units to strengthen the country’s security in the face of threats from Russia-backed rebels. Including this expanded training program, the U.S. will have spent over $244 million on supporting Ukraine since last year. [\[_Reuters_\]](http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/24/us-ukraine-crisis-usa-idUSKCN0PY28A20150724?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm%5Fsource=twitter "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/"},"headline":"U.S. to Train More Ukrainian Troops","datePublished":"2015-07-24T21:21:53.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T09:35:00.191Z","description":"Amid ongoing tension between Ukraine and Russia","url":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/","keywords":["Foreign Policy"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc97dd2ef04d148b/69885c6f196cf499c1037426/us-trains-ukrainian-soldiers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbc97dd2ef04d148b/69885c6f196cf499c1037426/us-trains-ukrainian-soldiers.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Ukraine us soldiers training","caption":"Ukraine us soldiers training","creditText":"Pavlo Palamarchuk—AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/foreign-policy/","name":"Foreign Policy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/","name":"U.S. to Train More Ukrainian Troops"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch: TIME's Simon Shuster And Getty's Brendan Hoffman on The MH17 Aftermath","description":"The author of this week's TIME cover story and an acclaimed Getty photographer paint a rarely seen image – through words and photographs – of the aftermath of the Malaysia Airlines crash in Ukraine","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/TUxxp7Jz/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-07-24T02:21:56.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/TUxxp7Jz.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/","duration":"PT5M27S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3971959/ukraine-russia-us-training/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```