US Advisers At Work In Ukrainian Defense Ministry

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Kiev is once again accepting to play a role of destabilizing agent in Russian strategic environment.

Written by Lucas Leiroz, researcher in Social Sciences at the Rural Federal University of Rio de Janeiro; geopolitical consultant.

Washington decided to send special advisers to work with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry – and Kiev accepted it. Apparently, the new officials will work permanently at Ukrainian government headquarters, which means that their advice and reports will have priority status in the face of decisions taken in Kiev from now on. The measure is part of a list of recent American incursions into the Ukrainian issue, which also includes the sending of equipment and weapons. In fact, once again, Washington shows interest in taking an anti-diplomatic line, to the detriment of negotiations with Russia.

In a recent post made by the Policy Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on a social network, it is possible to read: “On January 11, 2022, US advisers Chris Rizzo and Todd Brown began working in the Defense Policy Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine on a permanent basis”. At a later time, the Directorate mentions the fact that the main responsibilities of the new advisors include advising the Ukrainian government in the implementation of defense measures and gradually promoting Euro-Atlantic integration.

It is nothing new that US agents are constantly working with the Ukrainian government in the defense policy decision-making process. Most of the actions taken by the Ukrainian government in this regard are beneficial to the US, and Kiev certainly implements them under strong influence from Washington. However, by accepting to receive American advisers who will work publicly for the government, Kiev is taking a riskier step, practically unifying its defense policy with Washington, which could have serious consequences for the very image of the Ukrainian state – which will be less and less seen as a sovereign state.

In fact, what is happening now seems to be an extreme consequence of the constant search for integration with the West, initiated by Ukraine some years ago, in 2014, after the Maidan. Kiev plays a role of regional US satellite, acting as a destabilizing agent in the Russian strategic environment, and serving American interests in every way possible. And now, the last stage of this process appears to be taking place, with the Ukrainian government employing foreign advisers to tell Zelesnky’s team “what to do” about defense issues.

In addition to sending advisers, the US is also “helping” Ukraine in another way: sending weapons and military equipment. Recent reports indicate that a package of secret military aid is to be sent to Ukraine, with modern war equipment, mainly naval material, valued at more than 200 million dollars.

There is little information available on this subject so far, as the aid’s content is confidential, but apparently the package had been approved a long time ago, before the US and Russia talks were scheduled, having been postponed due to the expectation for a diplomatic solution during the dialogues – which did not happen, precisely because of the intransigent attitudes of the West. Now, the package appears to have been re-authorized to be sent, with the aim of dissuading Russia, forcing it to accept NATO’s terms in future negotiations. In other words, once again the West is taking military steps to respond to the alleged “Russian threat” and plans to intimidate Moscow with its maneuvers.

However, while Kiev accepts every form of Western imposition, its image becomes less and less respected. Employing American advisers and obeying Washington’s orders will not guarantee Ukraine any sign of real integration with the Western world. On the contrary, the country seems increasingly far from its dream of becoming a member of the European Union and NATO. And, of course, acting as a destabilizing agent, while the country’s internal order deteriorates into corruption, chaos and violence, will not help the Ukrainian plans at all.

In a recent speech, Johannes Hahn, who served as European Commissioner for the EU’s Neighborhood and Enlargement Policy, warned that there is no possibility of Ukrainian admittance to the bloc in the next few years and that any hope in this regard seems unrealistic. He advised the country to focus its efforts on implementing the measures of the Association Agreement with EU, leaving the remote possibility of admission for discussion at a later time.

In the same sense, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former secretary of NATO, had previously informed that the Ukrainian admission to the western military alliance seems very far from reality. Rasmussen stated that such admission requires a series of diverse requirements that will take years to be implemented in Kiev, which is why there is no possibility of membership in the near future. There are experts who say that Kiev will only be able to apply for admission in twenty years or more.

The West wants Ukraine provoking Russia and serving NATO. Kiev will not be admitted to the EU or NATO or any international organization that guarantees it military or financial security. The country serves Western interests only by acting as a solitary and isolated destabilizer, without any possibility of defense in case of a response from Russia.

With the failure of the talks between Moscow and NATO, Washington will continue to invest in measures to encourage Ukrainian destabilizing actions. It remains to be seen when Kiev will understand that accepting these impositions only harms itself.

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