Pentagon confirms lifting of ban on entry into Ukraine for US military contractors

The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed the lifting of the ban on entry into Ukraine for American military contractors to repair and maintain the US-supplied equipment, with all possible risks related to the decision taken into account, a Pentagon representative said, responding to a TASS request, Report informs.

"In order to help Ukraine repair and maintain military equipment provided by the US and its allies, DoD is soliciting bids for a small number of contractors who will help Ukraine maintain the assistance we’ve already provided. These contractors will be located far from the front lines and they will not be fighting Russian forces," he said, adding that "some of the equipment the US has provided Ukraine - or will provide Ukraine in the coming months - such as F-16s and Patriot air defense systems require specific technical expertise to maintain."

The Department made this decision "after careful risk assessment and in coordination with interagency stakeholders," the official said. "Each US contractor, organization or company will be responsible for the safety and security of their employees and will be required to include risk mitigation plans as part of their bids," he noted.

There already are a wide array of American companies who have personnel in Ukraine, "fulfilling contracts for the Ukrainian government," so this is not going to lead "to a substantial increase of employees of US companies working on the ground in Ukraine," the DoD representative said. "There also already are US government contractors working in Ukraine as the Department of State and USAID have been directly contracting US companies to assist with a variety of tasks, including helping strengthen Ukraine’s energy grid and providing economic support," he added.

Earlier, Reuters said citing sources that the US administration had decided to remove the ban on entry into Ukraine for US contractors. On June 25, CNN reported citing US officials that the US administration was working on lifting the ban on deployment of US defense contractors in Ukraine. Back then, the Pentagon refuted those reports, saying that no such decision had been made yet.