Injured personnel can now be admitted to a US military hospital in Germany, reports CNN
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has greenlit plans to treat injured Ukrainian soldiers at a US military hospital in Germany, CNN reported Tuesday, citing internal documents and Pentagon sources.
According to a note obtained by the media, Ukrainian soldiers would be taken to the regional medical center in Landstuhl, not far from the French border. Up to 18 service staff can apparently undergo treatment at the facility at any one time.
The document also says Austin verbally backed the decision as early as late May and formally endorsed the plan, titled “Counselling for the Medical Treatment of Injured Ukrainian Servicemen,” in late June.
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However, according to CNN sources at the Pentagon, no Ukrainian soldiers have so far been admitted to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center.
The purpose of the memo would be to cut red tape that would hamper the provision of medical care to Ukrainians when needed. However, the facility is located far from the western border of Ukraine.
Last week, the Swiss government rejected a NATO request to treat injured Ukrainian soldiers, citing their position of neutrality, according to local media.
Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine in late February, the United States has stepped up its military aid to kyiv. Washington has committed at least $8.2 billion in aid to the country’s security, providing it with a large amount of military equipment, including shoulder-mounted anti-tank missiles, artillery pieces and HIMARS multiple rocket launchers. .
Russia has repeatedly warned the West against sending weapons to kyiv, saying it will only prolong the conflict, increase the number of casualties and lead to long-term consequences.
Moscow sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, citing kyiv’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, intended to give the Donetsk and Lugansk regions 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 kyiv’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to save time andcreate powerful armed forces.”
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbas republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. kyiv insists the Russian offensive was unprovoked.
