The administration of US President Joe Biden lifted the restrictions that effectively prohibited American contractors from working in Ukraine for the maintenance and repair of military equipment provided to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
This was reported by the Reuters and CNN citing an anonymous US official.
The decision, adopted by the White House in early November, before the US presidential elections, allows the Pentagon to conclude contracts with American companies to work in Ukraine. This is the first such step since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022.
As Reuters notes, the Biden administration expects the decision to speed up maintenance and repair of weapons used by the Ukrainian military. According to CNN, the list of equipment to be serviced by American contractors includes, in particular, F-16 fighters and Patriot air defense systems.
According to sources' estimates, from several dozen to several hundred American contractors will work in Ukraine, who will remain in regions far from the front line for security reasons.
Previously, because of the risks to US citizens, American contractors were not allowed to work in Ukraine. As a result, damaged equipment had to be transported for repair to neighboring countries, such as Poland or Romania.
Author: Danylo Pievchev