US to sign contract with Ukraine to supply coast guard boats
A group of American Coast Guard specialists will visit Ukraine in May to finalize details and sign a contract for the transfer of two Island-class boats to Ukraine, as announced at a briefing by Ukrainian Head of State Petro Poroshenko in Kyiv.
"The Ministry of Defense is going through internal procedures for the completion and approval of a draft contract that we received from the American side," he said.
Poroshenko said that, under preliminary terms, the transfer of the boats will be provided for free. Ukraine will still pay approximately $10 million for the equipment and transport of the ships.
Poroshenko added that it is not in the public interest to provide detailed information on the contract or the characteristics of the boats, including their combat capabilities.
"I have no doubt that these two boats that we are to receive will benefit the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in strengthening the defense capabilities of the Ukrainian state," the Head of State said.
It was reported earlier, in a March 30 investigative piece by Radio Liberty’s “Schemes” program, that the US was prepared to transfer 30-meter Island-class boats to the Ukrainian Navy. The boats are in the service of the US Coast Guard and are currently docked at the port of Baltimore.
The investigators noted that, according to their sources in the Pentagon and the US Senate, Ukraine is "resisting" such a gift allegedly due to the commercial interests of the state leadership.