US has no plans for now to send military instructors to Ukraine: Pentagon

WASHINGTON

The US is not planning to send military instructors to Ukraine for now, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Thursday.

"Not to my knowledge," Singh told reporters when asked whether the US is currently planning to send American military trainers to Ukraine.

“We do training for Ukrainians...We have trained thousands and thousands of soldiers as part of our long-term commitment to Ukraine, but I have no information that we are sending trainers to Ukraine at this time," she added.

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Charles Q. Brown said Thursday that a NATO deployment of trainers appeared "inevitable," adding: "We’ll get there eventually, over time."

Singh said she was not aware of his comments.

Since the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, the US has provided military assistance to Kyiv.

Recently, during his visit to the capital Kyiv, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US would provide an additional $2 billion in military assistance to Ukraine.

Last week, the US announced a new $400 million military aid package for Ukraine which marked the third tranche of aid since Congress passed supplemental funding in late April.

Minutes after President Joe Biden signed a $95 billion spending bill into law that funds his top-line national security priorities, including more than $60.8 billion for Ukraine, the Pentagon announced a $1 billion package for Ukraine.

That was followed with the announcement of an "historic" $6 billion long-term investment package to purchase new equipment for Ukraine.