U.S. anti-tank Javelin missiles will serve as an additional deterrent to Russian aggression and will reduce the risks of personnel losses of Ukrainian anti-tank units, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"Javelin missile systems will help us to defeat enemy armored vehicles and increase the survivability of our anti-tank units. They will reduce the risks of personnel losses," Poroshenko said during solemn events marking the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Ukrainian Naval Infantry in Mykolaiv on Wednesday, May 23.

Poroshenko said the Javelin missiles provided to Ukraine by the United States are purely defensive weapons and will be used "only in case of a full-scale offensive by militants under the Russian control."

The head of state stressed that these weapons "will not be used to escalate the conflict in the Donbas."