KIEV, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine is counting on receiving Island-class patrol vessels from the United States, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Valery Chaly said here Tuesday.
"We are working to get from the United States the Island-class boats that will strengthen our capabilities in the Black Sea basin," Chaly told reporters during a media briefing.
Currently, experts are preparing an agreement on the transfer of the boats, Chaly said.
Later in the day, the government-run Ukrinform news agency said that two Island-class boats are to be transferred to Ukraine for free, but their preparation, equipment and transportation will be covered by funds from the Ukrainian budget.
Island-class boats are the offshore patrol vessels of the U.S. Coast Guard. They are used for security, drug interdiction and defense operations.
According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the United States has been the largest donor of non-lethal military technical assistance to Kiev since armed conflicts started in eastern Ukraine in April 2014, providing aid worth 1 billion U.S. dollars.
