On Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby announced that the US is pending a deployment of additional forces to Europe, with nearly 2,000 soldiers to be sent to Poland, and another 1,000 of the US personnel positioned in Germany to be relocated to Romania. Another 8,500 troops “remain ready to move if called for the NATO response force,” Kirby said, stressing that the deployment is temporary and depends on the security situation in the region. Kirby added that the US administration is not aware if Russia has made a final decision to “invade Ukraine,” stressing that the Department of Defense will keep pursuing diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, while believing that conflict is not inevitable.
The protracted tensions around Ukraine intensified in recent weeks, with NATO raising concerns over alleged Russia’s military buildup at the Ukrainian border and urging allies to enhance their military support for Kiev. Russia has repeatedly denied the allegations of prepping an invasion of Ukraine and has criticised NATO’s provocative military buildup in the region.
