The outgoing US leader Joe Biden will have to vacate the White House after two months now and make way for Donald Trump. But the 81-year-old man is now taking desperate measures to offer unprecedented support to Ukraine as much as he can before Trump takes over. On Friday, his administration lifted a de facto ban on deploying US defense contractors to Ukraine. Translation? American nationals will now be risking their lives for the Zelensky regime.
They won’t participate in combat though. As per reports, they will be stationed far away from frontlines and combat zones. Well, foolish US officials should study more about the hitting range of Russian missiles. Not just Ukraine, any region in whole of Europe can be struck by Russia, technically speaking. So, the argument that deploying US nationals away from frontlines to keep them safe is absurd!
Their main job would be to repair American-made armaments, such as F-16 fighter jets and Patriot air defense systems that Ukraine has been using against Russia. Much of the equipment has been damaged beyond repair by Kiev’s own specialists. So far, Kyiv had to export these damaged equipment to NATO nations to get them repaired but it’s lengthy and slow process.
Biden’s unofficial mouthpiece CNN said, “These contractors will help Ukraine Forces rapidly repair and maintain US equipment as required so it can quickly return to the front lines.” The report added, “F-16 jets and Patriot batteries require specific technical expertise to maintain.”
Now, let me tell know why this exercise could turn into a disaster for US contractors. Russia may view those contractors as its own enemy because they are openly backing Ukraine while being inside Ukraine against Russia. Officially, Ukraine and Russia are at war, and Moscow can fire its missiles at any part of the country. It has been doing that for months. Now, what if Kremlin decides to strike the repair facility itself? Who will bear the risk of these US nationals being killed in Russian attack? Now, that’s where the most shocking part comes. According to Pentagon contracts, not the US government or Ukraine, but the defense companies, the private firms will be accountable for their safety.
Let’s see what CNN says, “Each US contractor, organization, or company will be responsible for the safety and security of their employees and will be required to include risk mitigation plans as part of their bids.”
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has claimed that Moscow is aware of “direct involvement of NATO troops in this conflict.” He noted that some advanced systems supplied by the U.S. and its allies to Kiev, like ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles, need Western officers to operate them.
Russia’s Defense Ministry frequently reports on airstrikes targeting repair facilities in Ukraine. This week, the Russian military launched at least 38 strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities, as well as the energy and military infrastructure supporting them, according to a report.
This all is being done just ahead of the inauguration of the Trump administration 2.0. This is outright criminal. Biden known Trump would never help Ukraine at the expense of American lives, so he is doing the job himself. As fears grow that Trump may scale back US support to Kyiv, Biden is ensuring the war machinery remains well oiled for as long as he remains the commander-in-chief.