US considers deploying extra military advisors to Ukraine as Russia looks set to ramp up offensives

• The US is considering deploying more military advisors to Ukraine, officials have said.

• Additional troops would primarily support logistics and oversee US weapons sent to Ukraine.

• The move comes amid warnings that Russia is likely to intensify its offensive operations.

The US is considering sending additional military advisors to its Kyiv embassy as Russia continues its offensive operations in Ukraine, Politico reported.

Four unnamed US officials and another unnamed person familiar with the matter told the publication that the additional troops would primarily support logistics and oversee the weapons being sent to Ukraine by the US.

They would also assist the Ukrainian military with weapons maintenance, one of the officials and the person familiar with the plans said.

There was no confirmation of how many additional US troops would be sent to Ukraine, although two of the officials said it could be up to 60.

In a statement to Business Insider, Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said: "Throughout this conflict, the DOD has reviewed and adjusted our presence in-country, as security conditions have evolved. Currently, we are considering sending several additional advisors to augment the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) at the Embassy."

"The ODC performs a variety of advisory and support missions (non-combat) and while it is staffed exclusively by DoD personnel, it is embedded within the U.S. Embassy," the statement continued, adding that "personnel are subject to the same travel restrictions as all embassy employees."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the West against sending troops to Ukraine.

After French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that sending NATO ground forces to Ukraine "cannot be ruled out," Putin made his position clear, saying, "the consequences for possible interventionists will be... tragic."

It comes as the US House of Representatives on Saturday approved a bill to send more than $60 billion in additional aid to Ukraine.

The think tank the Institute for the Study of War said in an update on the conflict that Russia would now likely intensify its attacks on Ukraine in order to make the most of "abnormally dry spring ground conditions and persisting Ukrainian materiel shortages" ahead of the new package.

"The now expected arrival of US security assistance has likely emphasized these considerations for Russian forces," the report said. "The Russian military command will likely intensify offensive operations and missile and drone strikes to pursue operationally significant effects that will certainly become harder to achieve against well-provisioned Ukrainian forces."

It added that Russia will likely target areas where Ukraine's defenses seem relatively unstable or where they are close to achieving an "operationally significant objective," such as to the west of Avdiivka or near Chasiv Yar — both in the Donetsk region.

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