The potential military deployment comes amid US warnings that a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent. The State Department on Sunday moved staff and non-essential staff and family members out of “an abundance of caution” at the US embassy in Kiev, Ukraine.
One option the Biden administration is considering is moving between 1,000 and 5,000 troops to shore up Eastern European and Baltic allies and taking in American citizens if necessary, according to a senior defense official. . are available to assist you.
The goal of sending military reinforcements to Eastern Europe would be to deter and reassure the Allies, and there has been no suggestion that US troops would be stationed in Ukraine or take part in any combat roles.
“NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including strengthening the eastern side of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said.
US officials still do not know what Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning to do, or if he has decided to invade Ukraine. But some intelligence officials say there is evidence Russia is trying to capture Kiev and overthrow the government, as CNN previously reported.
Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement on Saturday that it has information that the Russian government “plans to install a pro-Russian leader in Kiev as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine.” ” ,
“The tensions are rising because of the concrete actions taken by the US and NATO,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “I mean, the informational frenzy we’re seeing. It’s fueled liberally with huge amounts of false information, just lies and fakes.”
State Department officials told reporters on Sunday that the decision to reduce staff at the embassy was not due to a change in the threat level to US personnel in the country. Officials said the move to reduce embassy personnel and urged Americans to leave the country was partly because State Department aid would be “seriously affected” if Russian military action in Ukraine took place.
In addition to reducing US staff at its embassy in Kiev, the UK Foreign Office also announced on Monday that it was withdrawing some British embassy staff and dependents in response to growing threats from Russia.
The US continues to engage diplomatically with Russia, but recent talks have failed to achieve any success. Russia has said the US and NATO should commit to never joining Ukraine and withdrawing military deployments from Eastern European countries, including Romania and Bulgaria. The US has repeatedly said these demands have not begun, although Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that the US would respond in writing to Moscow’s demands after his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
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