The United States will send “a small number” of employees of private military companies to Ukraine.
Their goal: to take care of the technical maintenance of American weapons.
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This is a first. The United States will send “a small number” of employees of private military companies to Ukraine to take care of the technical maintenance of American weapons, an American Defense official announced on Friday, November 8. kyiv's primary supporter, with more than $60 billion in military aid allocated since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, Washington had until then banned American private military companies from working in Ukraine.
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Ils “will be far from the front lines and will not participate in combat against the Russian army. They will help the Ukrainian army to quickly repair and maintain equipment supplied by the United States, as needed, so that they can quickly return to the front”, the official said on condition of anonymity.
“We are taking this action because some of the US equipment supplied to Ukraine – or which will be supplied to Ukraine in the coming months – like F-16s or Patriot air defense systems require specific technical expertise to be maintained”, said the official, adding that this decision was taken “after a careful assessment of the risks”.
Washington has provided a wide range of military equipment to Ukraine such as Himars rocket launchers, tanks and other vehicles. But Donald Trump's victory in the presidential election could call into question the future of American aid to kyiv. Before the Republican's inauguration in January, the government of outgoing President Joe Biden is seeking to spend every last cent of the budget approved in favor of Ukraine.
