Some NATO countries are considering sending military instructors to Ukraine – NYT

Some North Atlantic Alliance members are openly discussing the prospect of deploying military instructors or contractors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian soldiers and assist with equipment repairs.

Source: The New York Times, as reported by European Pravda 

Details: According to the NYT, Ukraine has asked the United States and other Allies to help train 150,000 Ukrainian troops closer to the front line to speed up their deployment.

The US military sources mentioned in the article said transferring exercises to Ukraine would allow American instructors to quickly gather information about changes taking place on the Ukrainian front, potentially allowing them to adapt their training.

However, the United States is being held back from taking this step because an attack on Allied trainers in Ukraine could lead to the invocation of NATO's collective defence article, as well as the need for enhanced air defence to protect them.

The NYT quoted an official as saying that one possible location for the exercises is Lviv, but this city has also been routinely targeted by Russian missiles.

Other officials cited in the article believe it is possible to train a significant number of Ukrainian recruits in training sites in Germany and Poland, as has been done thus far. However, deploying such a huge number of Ukrainian troops would necessitate extensive logistical operations.

As part of these discussions, the NYT says, "other NATO allies, including Britain, Germany and France, are working to base defence contractors in Ukraine to help build and repair weapons systems closer to the combat zone".

According to current and former US defence officials, the White House is reviewing its ban on US defence contractors entering Ukraine, despite the fact that a small number of contractors have already been cleared to work on specific weapons systems, including the Patriot air defence system, with State Department permission.

The debate about NATO troops on Ukrainian soil was sparked by French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated in February that he had asked Western nations to send troops to Ukraine.

Some countries, particularly the Baltic states, have officially backed or indicated interest in this idea. However, the vast majority, including the Alliance's Secretary General, have rejected it.

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