Retired General Appointed as Special Envoy to Ukraine’s Defense Minister
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Version 0 of 1. BODO, Norway — Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has appointed a retired Army general as a special envoy to the Ukrainian minister of defense, a move that Pentagon officials said would deepen American ties to the Ukrainian military and that is likely to anger Russia. Gen. John P. Abizaid, who once led the United States Central Command, will advise the defense minister, Stepan Poltorak, on ways to strengthen Ukraine’s military. The appointment comes amid increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine over pro-Russian eastern Ukraine. Mr. Carter told reporters traveling with him that the new appointment did not mean that the United States had decided to provide Ukraine with offensive military weaponry or maneuvers against Russia in the east. He said the Pentagon was simply seeking to bolster Ukraine’s defensive capability. Pentagon officials also said the United States would probably increase its training activities with Ukraine’s military. General Abizaid was the head of Central Command during the first four years of the war in Iraq. Mr. Carter is in Bodo for meetings with Norwegian defense officials. |