The US has placed 8,500 soldiers on standby in connection with tensions over Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Monday. He calls it “backing up for our NATO allies”.
They may be deployed in eastern Europe, but a final decision has not yet been made, CNN quotes news channel Kirby as saying. The “majority” of US troops placed on alert is intended to bolster NATO’s rapid response capability, Kirby said. Furthermore, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also wants to be “ready for any other unforeseen events”, it sounds.
NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force (NRF) “comprises some 40,000 multinational troops,” said Kirby, standing by in battalions in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, supported by tanks, anti-aircraft and intelligence and surveillance units. The American military could therefore be used for their reinforcement, if the NRF is activated by NATO.
US President Joe Biden discusses the situation around Ukraine from the White House on Monday in a video link with Stoltenberg and European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President of the European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen.
Kirby declined to say where US troops would be deployed, but said the US “has made it clear to allies on the eastern flank that we are ready to bolster their capabilities if they need to”. A NATO diplomat reports that Washington is considering gradually transferring some troops stationed in Western Europe to Eastern Europe in the coming weeks.
Russia has gathered many soldiers along the Ukrainian border and is preparing for an attack, according to the United States. Ukraine is not a NATO member, but the military alliance says it will not accept an attack on the country. In that case, western countries will declare heavy sanctions against Russia. Neighboring NATO countries such as Poland and the Baltic countries also feel threatened by Russia.
Boris Johnson warns of painful, violent blitzkrieg in Ukraine: ‘Could be new Chechnya’
NATO sends additional ships and warplanes to eastern Europe: “To deter Russia”
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