(NewsNation) — Word of the U.S. military having a presence in Ukraine is “nothing new,” top Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told NewsNation.
Ryder said the Pentagon has “long talked about” U.S. military being at the embassy in Ukraine during Russia’s invasion.
“These folks are there working in support of the Defense Attaché Office doing things like supporting the end use monitoring, as well as providing security for the embassy,” Ryder told Elizabeth Vargas. “While we’re not going to get into the specifics, in terms of the specific disposition of those forces, this is something that we have long talked about. So that in and of itself is nothing new.”
Ryder said President Joe Biden’s mandate that no U.S. soldiers will fight in Ukraine still stands.
“To be very clear, there are no U.S. combat forces conducting operations in Ukraine. That remains true today as it was yesterday,” Ryder said.
Ryder described the military presence as a “very small, U.S. military footprint working out of the embassy” mostly providing security for embassy officials.
“No U.S. combat forces are conducting combat operations in Ukraine,” Ryder insisted. “The president has said that is our policy and that remains our policy.”
Ryder’s comments come as the Pentagon rushes to contain the fallout from a massive leak of classified documents that reveal critical information about U.S. allies and the war in Ukraine.
The source of the leak is unclear. It has raised intelligence concerns that the breach may destroy the trust of U.S. allies.
“Broadly speaking, anytime there’s an unauthorized disclosure of sensitive classified material, it does present a national security risk, and it does also run the risk of endangering people’s lives. And so, this is why we’re taking this unauthorized disclosure so seriously,” Ryder said.
He mentioned that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he’s meeting with DOD leaders each day to assess the scope and impact of the leak, as well as ways to prevent other potential breaches.
“We will leave no stone unturned, will look under every rock,” Ryder said, echoing Austin’s direction. “We will make sure that this continues to receive the attention that it deserves. It will be a top priority.”
Ryder said he is “confident” investigators will know more about the leak soon.
