President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on hiring American military contractors to work in Ukraine. If the White House moves forward with the proposal, it will be another significant escalation in the proxy war in Ukraine.
Four unnamed US officials told CNN that Biden is shifting his policy and would soon allow private soldiers from American mercenary firms to aid the fight in Ukraine. The change is expected to take effect sometime later this year.
Initially, the White House sees the contractors fixing American-made advanced military equipment, such as the F-16 fighter jet. The Kremlin says the warplanes, which are set to arrive in Ukraine later this year, present a nuclear threat to Moscow, and vows to eliminate the bases they are stationed at, inside or outside of Ukrainian borders.
Increasing the number of American soldiers, even if retired from official service, on the ground in Ukraine will likely be viewed as another significant provocation by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tensions between the White House and Kremlin ramped up further over the past month, following Washington and many other NATO countries signing off on Kiev’s use of Western weapons to attack Russia. The pressure hit a high point last week when American-made ATACMS missiles were used in strikes on the Crimean Peninsula that led to the deaths of four Russians, per local officials.
According to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the US “has effectively become a party” to the war on Ukraine’s side, adding, “Retaliatory measures will certainly follow.”
That the White House is beginning to offer contracts to mercenary firms is an act of desperation, as Ukraine has been unable to stop the Russian advance. CNN reports that Alexander Vindman, former National Security Council director for European Affairs under President Donald Trump, now director of an organization supporting victory in Ukraine, is one of the lobbyists pushing Biden to allow the Pentagon to pay to send private soldiers to Ukraine. Vindman, who was born in Ukraine, testified against Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
