President Joe Biden authorized the sending of 3,000 soldiers to Eastern Europe, following a recommendation from the Pentagon, in the face of a possible invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
The US troop deployments from Germany and Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be temporary moves, according to two White House officials quoted by The Washington Post.
In addition to the deployment, the Pentagon would put more soldiers on alert, although it is not clear if they are additional to the 8, 000 that the Defense Department spokesman had informed that they were “ready”.
The Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, gave the recommendation to President Biden for the relocation of the “units based in Europe”.
“These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine . They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions”, stated one of the officials.
According to the report, about 1,000 members of the Army who already are based in Germany will move to Romania, and approximately 2,000 will go from Fort Bragg to Germany and Poland.
It is added that these movements seek to achieve a certain balance, between reassuring NATO allies who seek a greater US military presence, but without serving as a provocation to Russia, because the situation is extremely delicate.
The actions of the Biden Administration occur after President Putin criticized the US and NATO response to his requests , considering that they did not take into account the “security of Moscow”. made it clear to Russia of the economic actions it would face if it advanced h ace Ukraine, a country that is backed by NATO members.
“ the withdrawal of troops and equipment from Ukraine’s borders,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said of Blinken’s dialogue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday. “He stressed that a further invasion of Ukraine would have accelerated and severe consequences and urged Russia to follow a diplomatic path.”