The Pentagon on Monday said that it has 8,500 combat-ready US troops on high alert and ready to deploy on short notice as tensions between US and Russia continue to soar over Ukraine.
The Pentagon, however, clarified that any decision regarding their deployment has not been taken. Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the Pentagon has no plans to deploy them in Ukraine itself and deployment would happen only when NATO decides to activate a rapid-reaction force or if other situations develop following the Russian troop buildup in the southern and eastern borders of Ukraine, according to a report by BBC.
The US last week sent the first shipment of military aid to Ukraine to strengthen its response to a possible Russian incursion bid. Russian president Vladimir Putin denied any plans for an invasion of Ukraine despite more than 100,000 Russian troops gathering across Ukraine’s borders.
The move from the US comes after NATO said in a statement that it is dispatching warships and fighter aircrafts to eastern Europe to bolster its allies’ strength in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands are the NATO members who have planned to send frigates, fighter aircrafts and warships to eastern Europe. NATO said yesterday that all measures will be taken if the situation around its security environment deteriorates.
The Pentagon said that the move to keep forces on high alert comes as it understands that Russia is not looking to deescalate the tensions. “It’s very clear that the Russians have no intention right now of de-escalating. The United States will act firmly in defence of its national interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us, our allies, or partners,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Kirby said that the bulk of the US troops will be used to support NATO’s response. “We absolutely remain committed to bolstering the capabilities of NATO’s eastern flank, to the degree that they desire that extra support,” Kirby further added. US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said that the US is also ready to deploy troops in case of other eventualities but did not tell news agencies what those contingencies would be.
Read all the Latest News here
Comments
0 comment