US starts training of some Ukrainian troops on howitzer artillery

FILE PHOTO: Ukrainian service members operate a 2A65 Msta-B howitzer during artillery and anti-aircraft drills near the border with Russian-annexed Crimea in the Kherson region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released January 28, 2022. Press Service of the Joint Forces Operation/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States military has started training a small number of Ukrainian troops on using howitzer artillery, a senior U.S. defense official said on Wednesday, adding the training was being conducted outside of Ukraine and would take about a week.

"It's a smallish number of Ukrainians, a little bit more than 50," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.