"I hope not. I don’t expect so. I genuinely don’t expect so," Cleverly said during an interview at The Aspen Institute Security Forum, when asked if he thinks US or UK troops could end up on the ground in Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden has said American troops will not be deployed to Ukraine; however, the commander-in-chief earlier has since signed an order authorizing the US military to augment its European forces with 3,000 reserve personnel.
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has commented that Biden made the move as part of preparations for a ground war against Russia.
At present, there are approximately 100,000 US troops stationed throughout Europe.
Ukraine launched its long-advertised counteroffensive in early June after multiple postponements. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukrainian troops continue to try but are failing to advance.
The Russian Defense Ministry has indicated that Ukraine stepped up recruitment of mercenaries in the US and Canada - facilitated by the CIA and private military companies controlled by it, explaining that the Kiev regime uses foreign mercenaries as "cannon fodder."