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NATO said Monday it has put its troops on alert and is sending ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe, while the Pentagon said it has put up to 8,500 troops on standby for possible deployment in Europe if the NATO alliance -s activates a rapid reaction force.
The Pentagon statement, issued by spokesman John Kirby, is the latest sign of the United States’ determination to assemble Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
Mr Kirby clarified that no decision had yet been made on whether the troops would be sent.
NATO has denounced Russia for escalating tensions over the Ukraine crisis. NATO officials also said the alliance could send additional troops to its southeastern wing.
Welcoming a series of deployments announced by alliance members in recent days, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the NATO alliance would take “all necessary measures”.
The decision is a further sign that the West is preparing for a Russian attack on its neighbor after Moscow amassed about 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
“We will always respond to any deterioration in our security environment, including strengthening our collective defenses,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
He later told a news conference that the NATO alliance could send additional reinforcements to the region.
“We are also considering sending more combat units… to the southeast of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO now has about 4,000 troops in multinational battalions deployed in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, supported by tanks, air defense units and intelligence and surveillance units.
Russia has denied allegations that it is planning to invade Ukraine. But after sparking the crisis by encircling Ukraine with forces from the north, east and south, Moscow is now using the West’s response as evidence to support its argument that Russia is being targeted and not what is driving the aggression.
US officials said the Pentagon was finalizing efforts to identify specific units that could deploy on NATO’s east flank.
A U.S. official said up to 5,000 troops could be deployed, while a NATO diplomat said Washington was considering gradually transferring some US troops from Western Europe to Eastern Europe in the coming weeks.
US President Joe Biden will hold a video conference with European leaders later Monday as part of co-ordinating with allies to respond to the gathering of Russian forces on Ukraine’s borders, the White House said.
GROWING TENSIONS
Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands are planning or considering sending troops, aircraft and warships to Eastern Europe, NATO said. Ukraine shares borders with four NATO countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
A Polish official said Warsaw would not send troops to Ukraine.
Concerned about the situation, Britain said it was withdrawing some staff from its embassy in Ukraine, a day after the United States said it had ordered members of the diplomats’ families to leave. U.S. diplomats are also being allowed to leave voluntarily.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the West of “hysteria” and leaking information “full of lies.”
“In terms of specific actions, we see statements from the North Atlantic Alliance about reinforcement, withdrawal of forces and resources on the east side. “All this leads to the fact that tensions are rising,” he said.
“This is not happening because of what we are doing. “All this is happening because of what NATO and the United States are doing and because of the information they are spreading,” said Dmitry Peskov.
Global stock markets fell from the prospect of a Russian attack. The ruble hit a 14-month low against the dollar and Russian stocks also fell.
Russia has used its troop build-up to drag the West into discussions after it submitted demands to reshape Europe’s security map. It wants NATO to never accept Ukraine as a member and withdraw troops and weapons from the former communist countries of Eastern Europe that joined after the Cold War.
Washington says these demands are not the starting point for talks, but is ready to discuss other ideas on arms control, missile deployment and confidence-building measures.
Russia is awaiting a written response from the United States this week after talks last Friday – the fourth round this month – made no progress.
“PAINFUL, VIOLENT AND BLOODY”
Asked if he thought an invasion was imminent, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters that intelligence was “very bleak at this point” but that “logic can still prevail”.
He reiterated Western warnings that invading Ukraine would be “painful, violent and bloody” for Russia.
The United States and the European Union, wary of Russia’s intentions since it invaded Crimea and backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014, have told Russia it will face dire consequences if it attacks again.
At their meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers warned Russia that it would face “serious” consequences if it attacked Ukraine, but were divided over how tough the measures against Moscow would be and gave no details. in relation to them.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told EU President Charles Michel by telephone that it was important for Kiev for the EU to show unity.
“Ukraine will not fall into provocations and together with its partners will remain calm and restrained,” said the president’s office.
The European Commission has proposed a $ 1.36 billion bailout package to help Ukraine mitigate the effects of the conflict with Russia.
A source in the Russian delegation said political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany would meet in Paris on Wednesday for talks on resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where about 15,000 people have been killed since 2014. Previous attempts have failed to yield any progress.
Several countries, including France, Norway and Latvia, have warned their citizens against non-essential travel to Ukraine./VOA/
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