US may send additional military advisers to Ukraine
Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder said that the US is considering sending several additional military advisers to the Embassy in Kyiv.
Rubryka writes about this with reference to Politico.
According to the Pentagon spokesman, the advisers will not perform a combat role but rather advise and support the Ukrainian government and military.
"Throughout this conflict, the DOD has reviewed and adjusted our presence in-country, as security conditions have evolved. Currently, we are considering sending several additional advisers to augment the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the Embassy," Ryder said in a statement to Politico.
The ODC "performs a variety of advisory and support missions (non-combat), and while it is staffed exclusively by DOD personnel, it is embedded within the U.S. Embassy, under Chief of Mission authority like the rest of the Embassy," Ryder added.
The Pentagon spokesman refused to name the exact number of advisers who may be sent to Ukraine for security reasons.
According to four US officials and a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive topic, the additional contingent will support logistics and oversight of the weapons the US is sending to Ukraine.
The new US contingent will also assist the Ukrainian military with weapon maintenance.
The outlet sources noted that the number of American military personnel additionally sent to Ukraine will reach 60 people.
According to Politico's interlocutor, one of the military advisers' tasks will be to help the Ukrainians plan the maintenance of complex equipment provided by the United States since an intensification of hostilities is expected in the summer.
They will also support the relatively small contingent of the US Embassy in Kyiv and coordinate new arms shipments when an additional bill in Congress becomes law to provide Ukraine with more weapons and equipment.
What is known about the provision of aid to Ukraine from the United States
On April 20, the US House of Representatives approved a bill on financing aid to Ukraine. Even before the end of voting, the required number of votes was collected for the draft law. Three hundred ten congressmen voted for the draft law, while 112 spoke against it.
The Ukrainian package provides for about $61 billion in aid to Ukraine and its allies and resupply of the US military. It also calls for the administration to hand over long-range ATACMS missiles to Kyiv.
The President of the United States called on the Senate to approve the bill on aid to Ukraine as soon as possible.
In turn, Zelensky thanked the US Congress for approving aid to Ukraine, noting that this decision preserves the correct course of history.
Subsequently, the leader of the majority in the Senate, Democrat Chuck Schumer, announced that on Tuesday, April 23, the Senate of the United States of America will consider the bill on assistance to Ukraine, which the House of Representatives finally approved on April 20.
It should be added that in order for the document to become law, it must be voted by both houses of Congress and signed by the US president.
We will remind that the day before, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, presented four separate bills on financing US aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as other national security priorities.
