Nato considers sending trainers to Ukraine amidst rising tensions
NATO countries are considering sending instructors to Ukraine to train Defense Forces soldiers, reports "The New York Times." "A move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war," the article states.
6:04 AM EDT, May 17, 2024
"NATO allies are inching closer to sending troops into Ukraine to train Ukrainian forces, a move that would be another blurring of a previous red line and could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war," writes the American daily.
Russia exploited US delay, advancing on Kharkiv
Shortages in the workforce in Ukraine have reached a critical point, and its battlefield position has seriously deteriorated in recent weeks. Russia, exploiting delays in the delivery of American weapons, launched an attack on the Kharkiv region. Ukrainians are losing village after village.
"As a result, Ukrainian officials have asked their American and NATO counterparts to help train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front line for faster deployment," the report states.
The US says "no"
So far, the United States has said "no," but General Charles Brown Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated on Thursday that the deployment of NATO instructors seems inevitable. "We’ll get there eventually, over time," he said.
For now, he added, efforts in Ukraine would expose a group of NATO trainers to risk and likely force a decision on whether to use valuable air defense resources to protect the trainers instead of critical Ukrainian infrastructure near the battlefield, General Brown emphasized in a conversation with reporters during a flight to Brussels.
As part of NATO, the United States would be treaty-bound to defend against any attack on the trainers, potentially drawing America into the war.
The White House has firmly stated that it will not deploy American soldiers, including trainers, on Ukrainian territory, which a Biden administration official reiterated on Thursday.
However, French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that "nothing should be ruled out" when it comes to sending Western troops to Ukraine.
The Estonian government also did not rule out the possibility of sending soldiers to western Ukraine to take on rear roles, which could free up Ukrainian troops and direct them to the front.
Trainers would gain valuable information
Last week, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, in an interview with "The Guardian," supported Macron's position. "Our troops have been training Ukrainians in Ukraine before the war," he said, adding, "So returning to this tradition might be quite doable."
Military officials admit that moving training to Ukraine would allow American trainers to gather information more quickly about innovations happening on the Ukrainian front line, potentially enabling them to adjust training methods to the situation.
