Washington has abandoned the idea of sending US civilian personnel to Ukraine to service F-16s because of concerns for their safety, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing US officials. According to the sources, Europe is expected to assume responsibility for servicing the fighter jets handed over to Kiev.
The Biden administration has abandoned the idea of sending US contractors to Ukraine to maintain Western military equipment, including F-16 fighter jets, “because of security concerns.” This was reported by The Wall Street Journal citing US officials.
According to the publication, the U.S. National Security Council considered a proposal to send civilian contractors to Ukraine to service F-16 fighter jets and other military equipment, but the intelligence community and other experts considered it too risky.
“The intelligence community expressed concern about the prospect that Russia might target U.S. contractors in Ukraine,” a U.S. official explained to the newspaper.
Instead, Washington expressed hope that European countries would “assume more – and perhaps all – responsibility for F-16 maintenance.” The Biden administration has not ruled out the possibility of sending its contractors to Ukraine in the future, but it is not expected to do so in the near future, the officials confirmed.
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