The US is still “ways away” from sending any American troops back into Ukraine, and the decision ultimately lies with President Joe Biden, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley said on Monday.
Milley did acknowledge the topic was being discussed, saying there are “planning efforts that are underway at a relatively low level.”
“At the end of the day, any reintroduction of US forces into Ukraine would require presidential decisions. So, we’re a way’s away from anything like that, we're still developing courses of action and none of that's been presented yet to the Secretary [of defense],” Milley said at a news conference.
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Biden had ordered the withdrawal of all US troops from Ukraine before Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, hoping to avoid any direct conflict with Moscow in the country. But has ordered the deployment of thousands of troops to fortify NATO's defenses in Europe.
US officials told the Wall Street Journal on Monday that the Biden administration is considering sending special forces to guard the embassy in Kyiv which was reopened last week after three months of closure.
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