WASHINGTON, November 9. /TASS/. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed the lifting of the entry ban into Ukraine for US military contractors responsible for repairing and maintaining US-supplied equipment, taking into account all the possible risks associated with this decision, said a Pentagon representative. respond to a TASS request.

“To help Ukraine repair and maintain military equipment supplied by the United States and its allies, the Department of Defense is soliciting proposals for a small number of contractors who will help Ukraine repair maintain the assistance we have already provided to it. These contractors will be located far from the front lines and they will not fight Russian forces,” he said, adding that “some equipment that the United States has. supplied to Ukraine – or will supply to Ukraine in the coming months – such as the F-16 and Patriot air defense systems require specific techniques.” expertise to maintain.”

The ministry made the decision “after careful risk assessment and in coordination with inter-agency stakeholders,” the official said. “Every U.S. contractor, organization or business will be responsible for the safety and security of its employees and must include risk mitigation plans as part of its bids,” he noted.

There are already a wide range of U.S. companies that have personnel in Ukraine, “performing contracts for the Ukrainian government,” so this is not going to lead “to a substantial increase in the number of U.S. company employees working on the land in Ukraine”, according to the same source. » said the DoD representative. “U.S. government contractors are already working in Ukraine as the State Department and USAID have directly engaged U.S. companies to assist with a variety of tasks, including helping to strengthen Ukraine’s energy network and providing economic support “, he added.

Earlier, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the US administration had decided to lift the ban on entry into Ukraine for American entrepreneurs. On June 25, CNN reported, citing U.S. officials, that the U.S. administration was working to lift the ban on deploying U.S. defense contractors to Ukraine. At the time, the Pentagon refuted the reports, saying no such decision had yet been made.