Not sending forces to start a war with Russia over Ukraine, says US

Washington deployed 3,000 additional soldiers to Germany and Eastern Europe

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By AFP

Published: Sun 6 Feb 2022, 10:26 PM

The United States said on Sunday it was not sending troops to start a war with Russia after deploying 3,000 additional soldiers to Germany and Eastern Europe over the Ukraine standoff with Moscow.

President Joe Biden “has been clear for months now that the United States is not sending forces to start a war or fight a war with Russia in Ukraine,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told Fox News Sunday.

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“We have sent forces to Europe to defend Nato territory.”

Sullivan told Meet the Press on NBC that “a military escalation and invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time.

“We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response,” he said.

“President Biden has rallied our allies. He’s reinforced and reassured our partners on the eastern flank, he’s provided material support to the Ukrainians, and he’s offered the Russians a diplomatic path.”

Ukraine on Sunday insisted the chance of resolving the soaring tensions with Russia through diplomacy remained greater than that of an attack.

US officials have warned that the Kremlin has assembled 110,000 troops along the border with its pro-Western neighbor but intelligence assessments have not determined if President Vladimir Putin has actually decided to invade.

Officials briefed Congress and European allies in recent days that the Russian force amassed on the frontier is growing at a rate that would give Putin the firepower he needs for a full-scale invasion — some 150,000 soldiers — within a few weeks. Meanwhile, a few dozen elite US troops and equipment were seen landing on Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, following President Joe Biden’s orders to deploy 1,700 soldiers there amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are still expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka airport, 90km from Poland’s border with Ukraine. A US Army Boeing C-17 Globemaster plane brought a few dozen troops and vehicles.

Their commander is Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, who on Aug. 30 was the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan.

“Our national contribution here in Poland shows our solidarity with all of our allies here in Europe and, obviously, during this period of uncertainty, we know that we are stronger together,” Donahue said at the airport.

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In Warsaw, Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak hailed the deployment, saying that “deterrence and solidarity are the best response to Moscow’s aggressive policy, to the aggressive attempt at reconstructing the Russian empire.”

A collective response by NATO members is “the best response to a threat, the only method of assuring security to Poland and to other NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank,” Blaszczak said.

He stressed he has held a number of talks on the subject with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

AFP

Published: Sun 6 Feb 2022, 10:26 PM

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