Europe has special forces present on the ground in Ukraine. Poland and Slovenia are sending tanks to Kiev, and Hungary may allow weapons to be transported through their airspace. Those are just a few of the eye-catching details of Europe’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict revealed in the more than 50-page dossier that Politico uncovered from the leak of military intelligence documents. unverified US.
The leak created a chaotic response that prompted the US to reassure its allies. The document details US suspicions about Ukraine’s spring counterattack, and shows that Washington is spying on South Korea and has intelligence alleging that Egypt plans to specialize in arms deliveries to Russia.
However, that does not mean that there are no European references in the leaked classified documents. The leaked documents detail everything from a special British-majority unit in Ukraine to how and when France and Spain delivered vital missile systems to Ukraine. The document also contains allegations that Türkiye helps Russia and Belarus evade Western sanctions.
Politico has not been able to independently verify the document, and there are indications that some of the leaked pages have been tweaked. But the US has acknowledged the intelligence leak and arrested a suspect on April 13.
Regarding Europe’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, leaked documents indicate that there is a special European unit operating in Ukraine – at least as of March 23. Britain is the majority with 50 soldiers in the “US/NATO” unit of 97 personnel. The group also included 17 people from Latvia, 15 from France, 14 from the US and one from the Netherlands.
The leaked information did not specify the operations the force was conducting or its location in Ukraine. The documents also reveal that the US has a total of about 100 employees in the Eastern European country.
Up to now, the above countries have remained mostly silent on this topic. Britain declined to comment, while the White House acknowledged there was a “small American military presence” at the country’s embassy in Ukraine, insisting that its troops “did not fight on the battlefield”. France had previously denied that its forces were “participating in operations in Ukraine.”
In terms of arms aid, one page of the document gave an overview of the 200 tanks America’s allies had pledged to send to Ukraine – 53 tanks short of what the document said Ukraine needed for the war. spring counterattack.
Poland and Slovenia seem to be the biggest contributors, accounting for almost half of all tanks for Kiev (according to an assessment dated 23/2). France and Great Britain are also important contributors, each donating 14 tanks.
Suspect Teixeira was escorted by FBI agents. Clip from Reuters clip.
As for the Leopard 2, a modern German battle tank that Ukraine has spent months trying to convince Western countries to aid, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Finland are now committed to it. transferred to Ukraine.
But the document shows that as of February 23, only 31% of the 200 pledged tanks had been deployed on the battlefield. However, it is noted that the remaining 120 tanks are in the process of being delivered.
Another leaked document states that France informed Italy on February 22 that a joint missile system would not be delivered to Ukraine before June this year. That is “the end” of the timeline given by the Italian Defense Ministry in February, when officials in Rome said the air defense system would be delivered to Ukraine “in the spring of 2023”.
For Hungary, leaked US documents also suggest that the country, which shares a small border with Ukraine, may be secretly allowing allies to use its airspace to deliver weapons to Kiev. notwithstanding commitments to prohibit such carriage.
One of the leaked documents details plans for Ukrainian pilots to fly helicopters from Croatia to Ukraine “through Hungarian airspace”. If true, this information not only indicates that Hungary is allowing the movement of weapons through its airspace, but also contradicts media reports that they are being transported overland through Poland.
With Turkey, it has shown to be a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, helping to negotiate an agreement to maintain grain shipments through the Black Sea and maintain diplomatic relations with Russia while providing drones for Ukraine.
However, leaked US intelligence documents describe how Ankara helped both Russia and Belarus evade strict Western sanctions – a concern US officials have publicly expressed.
For Belarus, the document says: “Turkish companies bought sanctioned goods” and then “sold them in European markets”, as well as that these companies “resell from Europe to Russia.” The Turkish Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
