Around 100 US citizens pass screening to join Ukrainian forces
March 11, 2022, 5:47 am

Around 100 US citizens pass screening to join Ukrainian forces

Ukrainian 93rd brigade (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

The We For News reported, Kiev’s military attaché in Washington DC has revealed that approximately 100 US citizens have passed the screening to join the Ukrainian armed forces fighting the Russian offensive.

Major General Borys Kremenetskyi, has told the news agency AP, since Moscow launched its invasion of its neighbor on February 24, some 6,000 people, mostly Americans, have reached out to the Ukrainian Embassy in the US to express their willingness to serve alongside Ukrainian forces.

According to the We For News, interviews with volunteers have been conducted by Kremenetskyi and other diplomatic staff in the US capital via Zoom.

According to the official, half the applicants had to be rejected early in the vetting process as they did not have the required military experience, had a criminal background, or were either too young or too old. Others did not make the list because the embassy was not able to adequately check their background. To be granted official permission to fight for Ukraine, those candidates who make it through the initial stages have to undertake a final Zoom interview.

In this photo Ukrainian citizens were trying to prevent Russian tanks from entering the city (File photo: Euromaidan Press)

Before any foreigner can join up, they are required to sign a contract to serve without pay in the International Legion for the Territorial Defense of Ukraine. The combatants have first to get themselves to Poland, then cross the Polish-Ukrainian border at a specified point. They are given weapons on arrival in Ukraine, but are expected to provide their own protective gear.

Kremenetskyi said that among those American volunteers deemed eligible were veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars with combat experience, including a number of helicopter pilots.

Liz Truss tells CNN: UK very concerned about potential use of chemical weapons in Ukraine

The US government has advised its citizens against heading to the war zone. In fact, last Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Americans who might be thinking of traveling there “not to go.” The State Department says that it is unclear how many have arrived in Ukraine since the start of the war, however.

According to an unnamed senior US federal law enforcement official cited by AP, Americans taking part in a military conflict abroad could face criminal charges at home or even lose their citizenship, under certain circumstances.

Several other experts the news outlet spoke with noted that such volunteers could potentially be recruited by foreign intelligence services while in the war zone and continue working for them on their return to the US. Others pointed to the risks to America’s national security posed by white supremacists, who are believed to be among the new recruits, and who could become even more radicalized in Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky signs law on confiscation of Russia-owned property

Ukraine’s military attaché in the US insists that the volunteers are “not mercenaries who are coming to earn money,” but rather “people of goodwill who are coming to assist Ukraine to fight for freedom.” Kremenetskyi told AP it was the “unfair” and “unprovoked” nature of Moscow’s attack that was compelling Americans to “go and help” Ukraine, asserting that “Russians can be stopped only with hard fists and weapons.”

Source: wefornews

UK eases visa route for Ukrainian refugees stuck in France’s English Channel port city of Calais ISIS confirms death of of its leader Al-Quraishi, names new chief

Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.