The Pentagon has confirmed that Ukrainian anti-aircraft artillery has mastered the Patriot air defense system ahead of schedule.

WASHINGTON, March 21 – RIA Novosti. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said that Ukrainian anti-aircraft artillery had mastered the American Patriot air defense systems ahead of schedule, and this would accelerate the handover of such weapons to them.

He refused to specify the time of the appearance of the Patriots in Ukraine.

“Ukrainians trained at Patriot completed the course faster than expected thanks to their skills and enthusiasm. This will of course affect[timing],” Ryder said at a briefing.

According to media reports, the training course for Ukrainians at the American military base in Oklahoma was originally designed for ten weeks, but was later reduced to eight.

In December, the United States announced the transfer of a Patriot battery to Ukraine. Later, Germany and the Netherlands announced plans to procure the same American-made anti-aircraft missile systems.

Russia had previously sent a note to NATO countries for arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation stated that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying weapons to Ukraine. Lavrov also noted that the United States and NATO are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, “including not only the supply of weapons, but also the training of personnel … in Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries.”