US Joint Chiefs Chairman: "Deployment of Military Personnel to US Embassy in Ukraine Must Be Decided by the President"

US Embassy in Kyiv Considers Dispatching Security Forces
Burden of Sending Troops to Russian-Invasion Areas..."Low-Level Review"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, stated that the deployment of military personnel to secure the U.S. embassy, which was reopened in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, requires a decision by President Joe Biden. If troops are sent to Ukraine, where Russia is conducting an invasion, there is a risk of clashes with Russian forces and escalation, leading to significant opposition both inside and outside the United States.

According to CNN on the 23rd (local time), Milley said during a video briefing held at the Department of Defense on the results of the 'Ukraine Defense Advisory Meeting', "Plans to redeploy U.S. troops to Ukraine to protect the U.S. embassy are being reviewed at a relatively low level," adding, "However, the redeployment of U.S. troops to Ukraine would require the President's decision."

Earlier, the U.S. government closed its embassy in Kyiv and withdrew embassy staff to neighboring Poland on February 14, ten days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. After Russia retreated from Kyiv, the embassy was reopened on the 18th, about three months later.

Since reopening, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security of the State Department has been responsible for security, but controversy continues as calls have been made for military personnel to be deployed for embassy security. At U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide, the Marine Corps is typically responsible for security duties.

However, if U.S. troops are deployed to Ukrainian territory where the Russian invasion is ongoing, there is a high risk of direct clashes with Russian forces and consequent escalation, so controversy continues within the U.S. government. The U.S. government maintains a principle prohibiting direct military conflict with nuclear-armed countries to prevent the outbreak of a third world war involving nuclear weapons.