The US military expects to begin training Ukrainian colleagues in the use of American howitzers in the coming days, a senior US defense official said on Monday, Voice of America reports..

Last week, President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military assistance to Ukraine, announcing the delivery of heavy artillery ahead of a large-scale Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine..

The United States has sent four arms shipments to Ukraine as part of a new aid package so far..

A Pentagon spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, said preparations for howitzer handling would take place outside of Ukraine..

The United States plans to train Ukrainian instructors in the use of certain types of military equipment, in particular howitzers and radars, so that they can then train their Ukrainian counterparts.

The United States has previously trained the Ukrainian military in the use of the Switchblade loitering attack drones, and there has already been information about the delivery of a “significant number” to Ukraine.. In addition, the Pentagon is considering the possibility of providing Ukraine with Mi-17 helicopters, which were previously intended for Afghanistan..

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Meanwhile, Ukraine said seven people were killed in a Russian missile attack in Lviv on Monday.. These were the first civilian casualties in this city, which was previously considered relatively safe.. The strikes were aimed primarily at the railway infrastructure, which can be associated with the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine.