According to a Thursday CNN report, four U.S. officials claim that the Biden administration is removing a current de facto prohibition against American contractors working in Ukraine. The proposed change is not final and has not yet received White House approval.
Currently, the Pentagon will not contract with any company that works inside of Ukraine, due to fears that doing so would be escalatory and would create the impression that Americans are directly engaged in the conflict. The change in policy would allow the Pentagon to contract with those who work within Ukraine’s borders, functionally giving American approval to U.S. contractors working directly with the Kiev government.
The past couple months have seen considerable Russian gains on the battlefield, particularly near Kharkov, where Russian forces created a “buffer zone” to interdict Ukrainian munitions launched at the Russian city of Belgorod. The U.S. officials cited by CNN listed these recent Russian gains as one of the causes of the proposed change in policy.
Another stated cause is the Biden administration’s decision to give F-16 fighter aircraft to Ukraine, which will arrive later this year and require regular maintenance from American contractors. All U.S. equipment that requires servicing by American contractors must go to Poland or Romania for maintenance.
Alexander Vindman, the Ukrainian-American former intelligence officer, commented to CNN unsurprisingly that he felt this would be “a much more focused, thoughtful effort to support Ukraine,” which he described as “an ally.” The Biden administration’s proposed change in policy comes at a time when tensions between the U.S. and Russia are already at a high, due to the killing of five Russian civilians, including two children, by a Ukrainian missile strike on a Sevastopol beach using an American-made weapons system.
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