Wounded personnel can now be admitted to a US military hospital in Germany, CNN reports
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has greenlit plans to treat injured Ukrainian soldiers at a US military hospital in Germany, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing internal documents and sources in the Pentagon.
According to a memo obtained by the outlet, Ukrainian soldiers would be taken to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, not far from the French border. Up to 18 service personnel can apparently undergo treatment at the facility at any given time.
The document also reportedly says Austin verbally backed the move as early as late May, and in late June formally approved the plan called “Guidance for Medical Treatment of Wounded Ukrainian Service Members.”
However, according to CNN’s sources in the Pentagon, no Ukrainian soldiers have been admitted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center so far.
The purpose of the memo is reportedly to cut down on the red tape that would impede the provision of medical care to Ukrainians should the need arise. However, the facility is located a long way from Ukraine’s western border.
Last week, the Swiss government turned down NATO’s request to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers, citing their neutrality stance, according to local media reports.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine in late February, the US has ramped up military aid to Kiev. Washington has committed at least $8.2 billion in security assistance to the country, providing it with a large amount of military equipment, including shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles, artillery pieces, and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
Russia has repeatedly warned the West against sending weapons to Kiev, saying this would only prolong the conflict, increase the number of casualties, and result in long-term consequences.
Moscow sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, designed to give the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian president Pyotr Poroshenko has since admitted that Kiev’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to buy time and “create powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbass republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. Kiev insists the Russian offensive was completely unprovoked.
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