(NewsReady.com) – President Joe Biden recently made a change in the US’s Ukraine policy to allow the country to strike inside Russia with American-made weapons in cases of self-defense while fighting in Kharkiv. Then, the administration gave permission for Ukraine to counter-strike anywhere along the border. Now, the administration is weighing another change.
President Biden is reportedly deciding whether to lift the ban on American military contractors operating in Ukraine. The US has kept its troops out of the war between the country and its neighbor. The State Department has also discouraged Americans from traveling to the nation.
The contractors would not be allowed to engage in the fighting. They would only be in Ukraine to repair and maintain weapons systems provided by the US. Currently, when equipment sustains damage, it is sent to Romania, Poland, or other NATO countries for repairs. That process takes a lot of time. If US contractors were allowed into Ukraine, it could speed up the repair process. This could come in handy as the country is expected to receive F-16 fighter jets this year, which will need regular maintenance.
Unnamed Biden officials told CNN that it’s possible the administration could enact the policy this year. If that happens, the Pentagon would provide contracts to military contractors to go and work in Ukraine for the first time since the 2022 Russian invasion.
The administration would reportedly require the companies that want to send contractors to develop risk mitigation plans to help reduce the danger their employees would face. Others also made it clear that the presence of US contractors would be nothing compared to what it was doing in the War on Terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.
However, one official said the president has “not made any decisions and any discussion of [it] is premature.” They went on to say that the POTUS has been “absolutely firm” in his position that he will not send American soldiers to Ukraine.
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