White House axed plan to train Ukrainians in guerrilla warfare fearing it may provoke Russia: Report
Senior U.S. military officials pushed for additional special operations personnel to be sent to Ukraine in the lead up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the request was denied amid White House fears it could provoke Russia, according to a report.
As Russia stationed about 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine last year, U.S. military officials told lawmakers in December that a “few hundred” additional special operations personnel should be sent to the country to assist with military advice and training, Politico reported Sunday. 
RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE: LIVE UPDATES
The personnel would have trained Ukrainians on guerrilla tactics and unconventional warfare methods. The training would have been different from the formal training at the Yavoriv Combat Training Center in western Ukraine, sources told the outlet. 
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin even planned to bring the matter directly to President Biden for approval, a pair of people familiar with two December briefings with lawmakers and congressional aides told Politico.
White House officials, however, were reportedly concerned that the deployment of additional personnel would hamper diplomacy efforts and escalate the situation. The plans were stopped in response to those fears, according to a congressional official familiar with a briefing delivered by a Pentagon official to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
RUSSIANS HIT UKRAINIAN MILITARY BASE NEAR POLISH BORDER, KILLING AT LEAST 35: REPORT