The United States and Russia agreed to an unprecedented $1 billion military deal on Tuesday that will give the U.S. military an estimated $5 billion in equipment and personnel, according to a senior Pentagon official.
The deal, announced by Defense Secretary James Mattis and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, also includes the provision of missile defense, cyber-attacks, electronic warfare, precision strike technology and surveillance technology.
It’s a major escalation of U.N. sanctions against Russia, which Trump’s administration says is backing separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine, and could lead to retaliatory measures.
Mattis said the deal was a “very significant milestone.”
“This is a game changer for our relationship, and it will help us both to defeat ISIL and to protect the security of the United States of America,” Mattis said.
“We can no longer sit idly by while Russia continues to destabilize our country and its people.”
Russia will also be required to deploy “more than 20,000” personnel to its air force, according the official.
Trump’s top diplomat also said that Russia has agreed to send the U