The government in Kiev has asked NATO members to train its soldiers within Ukrainian borders as the beleaguered country faces delays in weapon shipments and a new spring offensive by Russia, according to a report by The New York Times.
The newspaper noted that the desire for this action comes as Ukraine has suffered a significant manpower shortage in the 27-month-long war, and officials are looking for ways to train 150,000 new recruits closer to the front lines in order to increase deployment speeds.
The U.S. operated training facilities for the Ukrainian military in the western part of the country from 2014 until the 2022 invasion.
Since the start of the fighting, most of Ukraine’s replacement soldiers have been preparing in Germany, Poland, and the United States.
Although the U.S. has maintained in the past that there will be no American personnel directly involved in the conflict, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Brown told The Times on Thursday, “We’ll get there eventually, over time,” while acknowledging that the measure would put “a bunch of NATO trainers at risk.”
The general’s comments come as the French President, Emmanuel Macron, has made several statements this year suggesting that a more direct involvement by NATO could be necessary if the situation in the warzone turns more favorable to Moscow.
Related Story: NATO Allies Reject Calls by France to Send Ground Forces to Ukraine
