US agrees to accept wounded Ukrainian soldiers at American military hospital in Germany

In the latest show of support for Ukraine amid its war with Russia, the US has agreed to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers at an American military hospital in Germany, stated CNN citing a memo by the Department of Defence or Pentagon. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly gave verbal approval to treating the injured Ukrainian troops for the first time since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “special” military operation in Ukraine in February. 

Up to 18 wounded Ukrainian soldiers are allowed to be treated at a time at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, a hospital in Germany which has been used to treat US service members for several years. Austin reportedly offered verbal guidance to treat wounded Ukrainian soldiers on May 26 and it was converted into a formalised memo on June 29. The memo entitled “Guidance for Medical Treatment of Wounded Ukrainian Service Members”. 

Landstuhl has not yet received Ukrainian troops for care

However, Landstuhl has not yet received Ukrainian service members for medical care yet. An official from US European Command told CNN, "We have not treated any Ukraine troops at Landstuhl”. As per the report, the official said that the purpose of the memo was to remove any red tape that would hinder the process of treating Ukrainian soldiers if and when the need arose. It is to mention Landstuhl is approximately 700 miles from the Ukrainian border. 

Meanwhile, on Monday, an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko posted a video on Twitter showing Ukrainian soldiers receiving prosthetic legs at a hospital in Chicago. On Tuesday, a second video was posted showing the soldiers walking on prosthetic limbs. It appeared to be the first authorisation for Ukrainian soldiers to receive treatment in military facilities instead of civilian hospitals. 

Meanwhile, as the Russia-Ukraine war entered the sixth month, Pentagon announced another package of security assistance for Ukraine which will include additional High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), ammunition and a substantial number of Phoenix Ghost unmanned aerial systems. In an official statement, Pentagon’s senior official said that US’ latest “package includes about $175 million in equipment pulled from existing U.S. military stocks through presidential drawdown authority and $95 million in equipment from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, or USAI fund.”

Image: AP