Biden allows US military contractors into Ukraine

The Biden administration will allow U.S. military contractors to deploy to Ukraine — a policy reversal aimed at helping Kyiv maintain complex Western-provided weapons systems, a defense official told POLITICO.

The decision was made before Tuesday’s election as a way to provide Ukraine with specific technical expertise needed for weapons like F-16 fighter jets and Patriot air defense systems, said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak about a sensitive military issue.

It will give the Defense Department the ability to ask for a small group of American weapon contractors to bid on sending their maintainers to the war-torn country.

“Having small numbers of contractors in Ukraine conducting maintenance away from the front lines will help ensure U.S.-provided equipment can be rapidly repaired when damaged and be provided maintenance as needed,” the defense official said.

CNN previously reported the policy change.

President Joe Biden has long promised that the U.S. would not put military boots on the ground in Ukraine — other than service members detailed to the American Embassy in Kyiv — despite the administration providing more than $64 billion in aid since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago. The official said the American contractors would be working “far from the front lines” and would not be fighting Russian forces.

“They will help Ukrainian Armed Forces rapidly repair and maintain U.S.-provided equipment as needed so it can be quickly returned to the front lines,” the official said of the contractors. Each contractor or organization that successfully bids on the maintenance contracts will be responsible for their own safety, the official added.

The move comes months after the U.S. State Department decided to beef up the presence of American diplomats by adding several dozen people at the embassy in Kyiv and allowing them to travel freely throughout areas surrounding the Ukrainian capital. Shortly after Russia’s invasion, diplomats were restricted to travel within Kyiv’s city limits.