Pentagon allows US military contractors to fix weapons in Ukraine

US eases restrictions for a fewer contractors to activity distant from nan beforehand lines and says they won’t prosecute successful combat.

The United States is allowing a mini number of American defence contractors to activity wrong Ukraine to support and repair Pentagon-provided weaponry, according to US officials.

The US has been a cardinal subject backer of Ukraine, committing much than $60bn successful information assistance since Russia’s full-scale penetration successful February 2022. But it has not permitted US subject contractors to activity successful Ukraine, wary that it could beryllium drawn into a nonstop conflict pinch Russia.

US President Joe Biden made nan determination successful a important argumentation displacement earlier he leaves agency successful January, US media reported connected Friday, earlier nan November 5 statesmanlike election, won by Donald Trump.

Biden besides plans to unreserved billions of dollars successful security assistance to Ukraine earlier his word ends. Trump has criticised nan standard of US subject and financial support for Ukraine and has pledged to extremity nan warfare pinch Russia quickly – without saying how.

For nan past 2 years, US and allied forces person been providing real-time attraction proposal utilizing phones and tablets to pass successful encrypted chatrooms pinch Ukrainian forces.

Officials said nan Pentagon is allowing nan contractors to spell because immoderate instrumentality – including F-16 combatant jets and Patriot aerial defence systems – require high-tech expertise to repair. Using nan contractors, they said, will guarantee nan weapons are fixed quickly truthful Ukrainian forces tin proceed to usage them successful combat.

The number of contractors would beryllium mini and located acold from nan beforehand lines. They would not beryllium engaged successful nonstop combat, nan officials said. The companies will beryllium responsible for nan information of their employees.

The restrictions person sometimes slowed down repairs and proven progressively difficult arsenic nan US has provided Ukraine pinch much analyzable systems, specified arsenic nan F-16s and Patriot systems.

A batch of instrumentality is not being utilized because it is damaged. In August, an F-16 pitchy crashed while repelling a Russian attack, sidesplitting its pilot.

The argumentation alteration would move nan Pentagon successful statement pinch nan US Department of State and US Agency for International Development, which already person US contractors successful Ukraine.

The determination comes astatine a captious clip successful nan conflict, as Russia makes much advances into Ukrainian territory.

It is unclear, however, really sustainable nan argumentation displacement will beryllium pinch truthful small clip near successful Biden’s administration. Trump takes agency connected January 20.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged his Western friends to let Ukraine to usage long-range missiles to deed targets wrong Russia and summation unit connected Moscow to extremity nan war.

Source

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Al Jazeera and news agencies