The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Brown, said it was only a matter of time before NATO military trainers were sent to Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
This comes as Ukraine fights to thwart Russian aggression in northeastern and eastern and southern Ukraine, including the city of Kharkiv, and comes as the United States seeks to provide the war-torn country with an additional $60 billion in aid. This happened just a few weeks after we agreed to send it. Country.
Ukrainian officials have asked U.S. and NATO officials to help train 150,000 new soldiers closer to the front lines for faster deployment, the New York Times reported.
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Gen. Charles Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said it was only a matter of time before NATO military trainers were sent to Ukraine. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Brown told reporters Thursday that the decision to send a trainer was inching closer.
“Over time, we’ll get there eventually,” he told reporters, according to the New York Times.
Manpower has long been a challenge for Kiev’s military as it fights a much larger and better-equipped enemy. The problem has worsened in recent months, with authorities introducing tougher measures against draft evaders, while lowering the draft age from 27 to 25, with a cap of 60.
The new law grants parole to convicts who sign contracts to join the military, which some officials say could create up to 20,000 soldiers for the Ukraine war. Says. Those convicted of the most serious crimes, such as premeditated murder of two or more people, rape, and crimes against national security, will still not be allowed to enlist.
But the recruits need training, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is asking Western countries for help.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has asked Western countries for help. (Ukraine Presidential Press Office, via AP)
But the move to deploy trainers could draw the United States and Europe more directly into the war between Russia and Ukraine. U.S. leaders have said they will not keep U.S. troops in Ukraine and are urging NATO allies not to do so either.
Mr Brown said such a move now would put NATO trainers at risk, and he is considering whether to use valuable air defenses to protect them instead of Ukraine’s critical infrastructure near the battlefield. The New York Times reported that a decision is likely to be made.
Attacks on trainers could force the United States to fulfill its NATO obligations under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, thereby potentially drawing the United States into war.
Former President Eisenhower, concerned about the spread of communism, dispatched US advisors to conduct military training in South Vietnam in 1956. The United States was gradually drawn into military operations in Vietnam, and by 1962 President Kennedy had 12,000 American military advisors stationed there.
It is unclear which NATO countries are considering sending military trainers, and how many and for how long.
The NATO logo is pictured inside the new North Atlantic Council Chamber at NATO Headquarters in Brussels. (Emmanuel Dunant/AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Joint Chiefs of Staff for further comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that he had not ruled out European Union member states sending troops to Ukraine to deter Russian aggression.
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Russia’s latest offensive began last week in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, making it the most extensive border violation since a full-scale invasion began in 2022, forcing thousands of people to flee their homes.
In recent weeks, Moscow’s military has sought to further consolidate its gains in eastern Donetsk. Taken together, these developments mean the war has entered a critical phase for Ukraine’s depleted military.
Meanwhile, while Russian President Vladimir Putin was visiting China, Ukraine overnight launched the largest-ever kamikaze drone attack on Russia, which officials said killed two people and killed several people in the Black Sea. A fire broke out at the refinery.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
