The US government could soon allow its military contractors to deploy in Ukraine again to help repair and maintain donated American weapons.
Four US officials familiar with the matter recently told CNN that the administration of President Joe Biden is now moving to lift a de facto ban on American military presence inside Ukraine.
The move may be fueled by the logistical burden of having to ship damaged weapons and armored vehicles to nearby NATO countries so US military engineers can safely repair them.
If enacted, the Pentagon will have the freedom to contract American companies to work in Ukraine and accelerate the repair and maintenance of weapons systems such as F-16s.
The sources noted that the move is still being discussed internally, with a decision expected by the end of this year.
A Lengthy Process
The revelation comes despite Biden’s firm stance that the US will not send troops to Kyiv to participate in the ongoing war.
However, CNN sources said his administration has been re-examining this policy over the past few months as Russia continues to gain the upper hand in Ukraine.
The absence of American contractors in the war-torn nation has reportedly made the process of repairing and maintaining US-supplied weapons lengthy and more difficult.
Previous reports indicated that Ukrainian forces even had to utilize phone calls and video chats to receive necessary hardware support.
“We get calls from right there on the firing line. So there’ll be outgoing or incoming fire at the same time you’re trying to help the forward maintainers troubleshoot the best they can,” an American military contractor from a base in Poland said in 2023.
If the proposed deployment in Ukraine pushes through, American companies will be required to develop reliable mechanisms to keep their personnel safe from potential Russian attacks.
