As Russia intensifies its offensive in Ukraine, there’s a growing possibility that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) may directly send instructors to Ukraine to train recruits. If a training team is dispatched, it would mark the first time NATO troops have entered Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022, increasing the likelihood of a direct clash between Russia and the West.
The New York Times (NYT) reported on May 16th that Ukrainian government officials have requested training support from NATO-registered countries, including the U.S. Russia has been stepping up its offensive on the eastern front since April, pushing Ukrainian forces out of some areas such as Kharkiv. On May 16th, the Secretary of the Russian National Security Council, Sergei Shoigu, claimed on state television that the “offensive is going very well in all directions” on the Ukrainian front.
Ukraine needs NATO’s help to quickly train its 150,000-strong conscript force for deployment in the war. The United States had previously supported NATO’s training program in Yavoriv, western Ukraine, until the war broke out, but withdrew its instructors after the war began. Currently, the United States and NATO-registered countries are supporting the training of Ukrainian forces in Poland and Germany. However, training Ukrainian troops abroad is less efficient in terms of supply, movement, and fatigue. Military officials believe that conducting training directly within Ukraine would allow them to effectively incorporate the latest frontline information into the training.
On May 16th, General Charles Q. Brown Jr. of the U.S. pointed out that it is inevitable that NATO will send training instructors. He said, “Eventually, we will have to go to Ukraine.” Brown expressed concerns that if instructors are dispatched to Ukraine immediately, they may have to be installed to protect the instructors instead of protecting the already scarce air defense weapons at the Ukrainian front lines or base facilities.
The NYT highlighted NATO’s collective defense obligation, which stipulates that if one NATO country is attacked, all registered countries will come to its defense. They explained that if instructors are attacked, the likelihood of a confrontation with Russia increases.
The White House has previously urged not to deploy any U.S. troops, including instructors, in Ukraine, and has urged other NATO countries not to deploy troops. The White House reiterated the same claim in an announcement on May 16th.
However, there are gradual leaks of deployment theories in Europe.
In February, French President Emmanuel Macron said regarding the war in Ukraine, “Nothing, including deployment, should be excluded.” On May 10th, the National Security Advisor of Estonia revealed that there is a possibility of deploying to western Ukraine to help the Ukrainian army move to the eastern front.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis also supported Macron last week, saying, “Our army trained the Ukrainian army in Ukraine even before the war. It’s a tradition that can be resumed at any time.”
Concerning this, a U.S. official revealed on May 15th that they could also train the Ukrainian army in Lviv, western Ukraine, near the Polish border.
