U.S. President Joe Biden met virtually Monday afternoon with key European leaders to address the emerging threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine as he assesses sending several thousand U.S. troops to the Baltics and Eastern Europe.
Biden has not decided whether he will deploy military equipment and personnel to the region, but White House press secretary Jen Psaki said ahead of the meeting with European representatives that the United States “has always said it would support allies on the eastern flank,” abutting Russia.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin placed 8,500 U.S. military personnel on “high alert.” to – if necessary – urgently send them to Eastern Europe, where most of them could be activated as part of a NATO response force in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It’s very clear that the Russians have no intention at this point to de-escalate,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “What this is about, however, is reassuring our NATO allies,” he added.
Biden ruled out sending troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion of the once-Soviet republic, but promised to impose swift and severe economic sanctions on Moscow.
Kirby said that the U.S. military Is “extremely vigilant.” to the buildup of 127,000 Russian army troops along the Ukrainian border and in Belarus and that Washington is “taking steps to increase readiness over Ukraine,” including for a NATO response force if Western military forces are activated.
U.S. and Russian officials have had four face-to-face meetings in the past two weeks on Western concerns over the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and Russian fears of NATO operations in Eastern Europe, and Biden has also spoken directly to European allies.
High-security virtual meeting
The White House reported that Biden would be in the high-security Situation Room for his Monday call. He was scheduled to meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Early Monday, NATO announced that its members were sending. more ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe. in response to Russia’s military buildup along its border with Ukraine.
A NATO communiqué indicated that additional troops and equipment could be sent from several countries, including Denmark, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States.
“NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all all allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said. “We will always respond to any deterioration in our security environment, including by strengthening our collective defense.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the United States and its NATO allies of escalating tensions.
United States gave order on Sunday that family members of its diplomatic staff in Kiev, as well as non-essential personnel, leave the country, citing the possibility of Russian military action. The United Kingdom has taken similar measures.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry took note of the U.S. move and expressed its displeasure.
“While we respect the right of foreign nations to ensure the security of their diplomatic missions, we believe that such a step is premature and an example of excessive caution,” tweeted spokesman Oleg Nikolenko on Monday.
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Monday that the EU does not plan similar withdrawals. He spoke to reporters as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was scheduled to virtually attend.
“We are not going to do the same, because we don’t know any specific reason. But Secretary Blinken will inform us,” Borrell said.
Other precautions
In addition to its order Sunday for the departure of eligible family members from the U.S. Embassy in Kiev, the State Department also authorized the voluntary departure of U.S. direct-hire employees, asked U.S. citizens in Ukraine to consider leaving the country, and reissued travel warnings about Ukraine or Russia.
Asked about the timing of these actions Sunday night in Washington, a senior State Department official told reporters that they come against the backdrop of reports that Russia is planning major military action against Ukraine.
The State Department official said that security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Crimea – occupied by Russia – and in the east of the country – controlled by Russia – are unpredictable and could deteriorate without warning.
State Department officials briefing reporters declined to give estimates of the number of Americans working at the embassy in Kiev or the number of Americans living in Ukraine.
Russia denies plans to invade Ukraine and has sought assurances against further NATO expansion into Eastern Europe. The U.S. and Russia plan to exchange written statistics this week on their mutual claims.
*Part of the information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
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