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The US president said he would send about 2,000 troops to Europe. This comes after information leaked from documents showing that Washington is ready to talk to Moscow about reducing troops and missiles.
According to US media reports on Wednesday (02.02), President Joe Biden approved the deployment of additional military forces in Eastern Europe. According to the plan, the US will send about 2,000 US troops to Poland and Germany, while 1,000 troops will move from Germany to Romania.
Referring to DW correspondent Teri Schultz, troops in Poland will be kept on high alert. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stressed that they will not fight in Ukraine. “These are not permanent military movements,” he said. “They respond to the conditions of the current situation.”
An operational unit of the air force, Stryker, consisting of about 1000 members of the US service currently stationed in Germany, is expected to be transferred to Romania, according to Pentagon sources. According to them, about 1700 troops, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, will be relocated from the US to Poland. About 300 more members will go to Germany.
DW Washington correspondent Oliver Sallet called it a symbolic move, given that there are already 60,000 US troops stationed in Europe. In a Twitter post, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak welcomed the deployment, saying: “The strengthening of the US presence in Poland with 1,700 troops is a strong signal of solidarity in response to possible Russian aggression against Ukraine.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also welcomed the deployment. Following the announcement, the Kremlin said it was a “harmful” move.
“These are extremely harmful steps that increase military tension and reduce the space for political decisions,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russia’s Interfax news agency.
Possible missile reductions in Europe
The news about the deployment of American troops came after the leaked documents brought to light the information that the US told Russia that it is ready to discuss an agreement on the deployment of missiles.
The Spanish daily El Pais published two documents from NATO and the US, which were in response to Russian security demands in Europe. “The United States stands ready to discuss reciprocal transparency measures based on mutual conditions and commitments, from both the United States and Russia, to refrain from deploying surface-to-air missile systems and permanent forces with a “Mission combat mission on Ukrainian territory,” the US document said.
The United States has said it will be ready to discuss “a transparency mechanism to confirm the absence of Tomahawk missiles in the Aegis Ashore countries, Romania and Poland.”
US Aegis Ashore systems are designed to protect against short- and medium-range missiles. Russia claims that these systems can be armed with medium-range Tomahawk missiles and used to attack Russia. The document says that it will have to consult closely with NATO allies, especially Romania and Poland.
The documents do not mention anything about Ukraine’s hopes of joining NATO – the main issue that has worried Moscow. In the NATO document, 30 allies said they “reconfirm their commitment to the open door policy of NATO ”.
Sources confirmed to DW that the leaked NATO document was indeed the alliance’s response to Moscow. This information was later supported by Pentagon spokesman Kirby.
Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, along with heavy equipment and supplies, sparking fears of an imminent invasion. Russia has denied intending to invade Ukraine, but has made various demands on what are considered NATO threats.
Russia seeks China’s support
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first public reactions, accused the US and its allies of ignoring their key demands, but said Moscow was open to talks to reduce tensions.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that China would support Moscow for its security concerns when Putin attends the opening of the Winter Olympics this week. “Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a common position on global security,” said the Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser.
“A joint statement has been prepared on international relations entering a new era,” Yuri Ushakov told reporters. He said this would reflect the “common views” of Moscow and Beijing on security.
Putin – Johnson talks
On Wednesday (02.02), British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a phone call that arrived late, due to internal problems in the UK. Johnson told Putin that any sudden attack on Ukraine would be a miscalculation and tragic. “The prime minister has expressed his deep concern over Russia’s current hostile activity on the Ukrainian border,” said a spokesman for Johnson’s office. “He stressed the need to find a solution that respects Ukraine’s territorial integrity and the right to self-defense. “Any further Russian attack on Ukrainian territory would be a miscalculation and tragic.”
According to the Kremlin, the couple exchanged detailed views on the “internal” crisis in Ukraine and Russia’s security demands. Putin drew attention to the “chronic sabotage of Kiev” in the Minsk agreements and noted NATO’s “unwillingness” to respond to Russia’s concerns. Prior to the call, the Kremlin had ridiculed British politicians for their “stupidity and ignorance”.
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