U.S. in Low Level Talks to Send Troops Back to Ukraine

On Monday, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told reporters that “low-level” discussions are underway on how the U.S. may need to adjust its training of Ukrainian forces, and on “whether some U.S. troops should be based in Ukraine.”

So far, the U.S. has been training Ukrainian forces in nearby European countries.

This makes sense — the introduction of higher-tech weapons to Ukraine requires intense instruction on the weapon system’s proper use. Logistically, it’s easier to send the trainers into Ukraine than it is to send Ukraine to the trainers.

Also, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv has been partially reopened and re-staffed — this raises the question of whether U.S. Marines, who serve as embassy security at American embassies around the world, will be sent into Ukraine.

Leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. withdrew its military trainers and embassy staff, presumably to avoid American casualties which could trigger a wider conflict between the U.S. and Russia.

Indeed, the U.S. has gone to great lengths to reject calls to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine for that very reason; when NATO fighters start downing Russian aircraft, and when Russian SAMs start downing American airmen, things could escalate very quickly.

And nobody wants a nuclear war.

But this “about face” by the Pentagon suggests that they are confident that Russia will…