The Biden administration is finalizing the process of identifying the specific military units that will be deployed to Europe to counter Russia, CNN reported on Monday.
While the administration has not yet made a final decision, President Joe Biden reportedly discussed options with top defense officials over the weekend to increase the number of US troops in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, the report said.
Earlier on Monday, The New York Times reported that Biden is considering deploying US troops to NATO member states in the Baltics and Eastern Europe. Defense Department reportedly introduced several possible scenarios of scaling up US military presence, including dispatching 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern Europe, with the potential to increase that number tenfold if the situation deteriorates.
NATO pledged to reinforce allied deterrence and defense amid rising fears of military escalation in Ukraine by dispatching additional ships and fighter jets to the alliance’s deployment sites in Eastern Europe.
The US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman strike group came under NATO command on Monday in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time since the Cold War during the current alliance-led Neptune Strike 2022 exercise in the Mediterranean.
Russia has also raised concern over increased NATO’s military activity near its borders, saying that the allegations serve as a pretext for expanding the alliance’s military presence and deploying more troops in Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, Polish National Security Bureau Head Pawel Soloch said that Ukraine does not expect additional troops from foreign allies, but wants more arms supplies.
“The support issue has been the subject of the two-day discussions between presidents Andrzej Duda and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held in Wisla before the weekend. A clear message of support for Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic ambitions has been sent.
If Russia invades, we are ready to provide other measures of support within the so-called coalition of countries willing to take part in the NATO forum. Ukrainians need weapons, and we are also negotiating this issue,” Soloch said in an interview to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
Though there are no plans to send more Polish troops to Ukraine, some of them are now taking part in military training there, according to Soloch. “Ukrainians do not expect additional troops from other countries now,” he added.
Tensions around Ukraine have increased in recent months, with Russia and NATO accusing each other of amassing troops on the Russian-Ukrainian border. The West and Kiev accused Russia of alleged preparation for invasion.
Moscow denies the claim and maintains that it has no intention of invading Ukraine, adding that the allegations serve as a pretext for expanding the alliance’s military presence and deploying more troops to Eastern Europe. Russia is also stressing its right to move forces within its own territory.
- Via Sputnik News Agency
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