The US’s Biden administration is considering lifting a de facto ban on American military contractors deploying to Ukraine, four US officials familiar with the matter told CNN. This move aims to help Ukraine’s military maintain and repair US-provided weapons systems, marking another significant shift in the administration’s Ukraine policy.
The policy is still under development and has not yet received final approval from President Joe Biden. “We have not made any decisions and any discussion of this is premature,” said one administration official. “The president is absolutely firm that he will not be sending US troops to Ukraine.”
Once approved, the change would likely be implemented this year, allowing the Pentagon to provide contracts to American companies for work inside Ukraine for the first time since Russia’s invasion in 2022. Officials hope this will expedite the maintenance and repairs of weapons systems used by the Ukrainian military.
Over the last two years, Biden has insisted that all Americans, especially US troops, stay far from the Ukrainian frontlines. The White House has been determined to limit the danger to Americans and the perception, particularly by Russia, that the US military is engaged in combat there. The State Department has explicitly warned Americans against traveling to Ukraine since 2022.
Currently, US-provided military equipment that sustains significant damage in combat has to be transported out of Ukraine to Poland, Romania, or other NATO countries for repairs, a time-consuming process. US troops assist the Ukrainians with routine maintenance and logistics via video chat or secure phone, an arrangement with inherent limitations, as US personnel cannot work directly on the systems.
