The United States is sending thousands of troops to Eastern Europe amid heightened tensions over Ukraine. The US Department of Defense confirms this after media reports. President Joe Biden announced at the end of January that he would send troops soon.
Two thousand soldiers are stationed in Germany and Poland. These troops will leave the US state of North Carolina this week. A thousand soldiers already in Germany are sent to Romania.
The 2,000 from North Carolina are in addition to the 8,500 U.S. military personnel already on readiness for deployment to eastern Europe. This is in case the troops are needed quickly, for example during a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The West fears that Russia will invade Ukraine, because some 100,000 Russian soldiers are said to be stationed at the border. Russia denies that there are such plans, but does demand security guarantees. The country wants NATO troops to leave Eastern Europe and for Ukraine never to join NATO. The US and NATO have already said they will not agree to these demands.
Sending thousands of soldiers should provide some reassurance to NATO allies, who are closely monitoring the Russian troop build-up. The Americans want to avoid deploying their troops in Ukraine, but provide the country with weapons and training.
Strong signal
Biden also wants to use this measure to make it clear to the Kremlin that the US is prepared to take more military steps if Russia continues to build up troops and the crisis is not averted. “It is important that we send a strong message to Mr Putin and to the world that NATO is important to the United States and to all our allies,” said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
Kirby does not rule out the possibility that the Americans will send more soldiers. He hopes that Putin will eventually opt for a diplomatic solution. “We still don’t believe he made a decision to invade Ukraine.”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko called the deployment of additional US troops “destructive”. “This will increase military tensions and reduce the scope for political solutions,” Groushko told the Russian news agency Interfax.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte met Ukrainian President Zelensky in Kiev. It was mainly about the rising tensions with Russia:
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