White House Authorizes US Troops In Poland To Spearhead Ukraine Evacuation Plan

Apparently fearing another Afghan evacuation disaster, the White House has approved a new Pentagon plan authorizing US troops currently in Poland to spearhead the evacuation of Americans in Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion. At this point, it’s being described as a contingency plan but requiring the necessary logistics to be in place, with troops on standby.

According to details revealed in The Wall Street Journal, “Some of the 1,700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Corps being deployed to Poland to bolster that ally will in coming days begin to set up checkpoints, tent camps and other temporary facilities inside Poland’s border with Ukraine in preparation to serve arriving Americans, U.S. officials said.”

However, the official cautioned that “The troops aren’t authorized to enter Ukraine and won’t evacuate Americans or fly aircraft missions from inside Ukraine,” according to the report.

“Instead, the officials said, the mission would be to provide logistics support to help coordinate the evacuation of Americans from Poland, after they arrive there from Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine, likely by land and without U.S. military support, the officials said.”

US troops began arriving in Poland this week, as part of a new Biden-authorized deployment of 3,000 extra troops to bolster Eastern European allies in face of Russian “aggression”. 

It’s commonly estimated that some 30,000 American citizens are currently in Ukraine. Last month there was open contention between Kiev and Washington when the State Department began advising families of embassy staff to begin departing the country.

Ukrainian officials said the move was “premature” and unwarranted at that point, also at a moment the White House was claiming a Russian offensive was “imminent” – also which never materialized. The “imminent” claim too was deemed wildly inaccurate by Ukraine officials. Ukraine’s leaders have also been trying to keep the population from panicking when nothing has actually happened yet.

❗️Russian invasion of Ukraine now unlikely, Ukrainian President Zelensky tells WSJ

— Murad Gazdiev (@MuradGazdiev) February 9, 2022

President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile has told The Wall Street Journal that a Russian invasion is still unlikely.

He was cited in publication Tuesday as saying he “still believes an invasion is unlikely, according to people familiar with his thinking, and worries that dire public warnings from the U.S. about a possible invasion are serving to amplify Russian efforts to destabilize Ukraine and its economy.”