Ukraine news: Joe Biden to send US troops to Poland, Germany and Romania in Russia row | World | News


The move, which will 2,000 US troops deployed from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Germany, Poland and Romania is a series escalation in the tension already being felt in the region.

The military moves come amid stalled talks with Russia over its military buildup at Ukraine’s borders.

And they underscore growing fears across Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to invade Ukraine — and smaller NATO countries on the eastern flank worry they could be next.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military moves not yet announced.

 

Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine have mounted in recent months, after Vladimir Putin deployed more than 100,000 troops to areas near Ukraine’s borders, including in neighbouring Belarus, backed by tanks, artillery, helicopters and warplanes.

Russian officials have insisted that Moscow has no intention of invading.

In his first public remarks on the standoff in more than a month, Mr Putin on Tuesday accused the US and its allies of ignoring Russia’s security demands that NATO stop expanding eastward, but he said Moscow was willing to talk more to ease tensions over Ukraine.

His remarks suggested that a potential Russian invasion may not be imminent and that at least one more round of diplomacy is likely.

Reports have emerged that Russia has further added to its military presence on the border of Ukraine.

More evidence has emerged of a steady build-up of Russian military equipment and deployments around Ukraine, with new satellite images revealing a further expansion of the military presence at multiple locations in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia.

Russian forces have moved into Belarus in the last two weeks.

The Russian and Belarus defence ministries say the deployments are ahead of a major training exercise this month.

The imagery was collected and analyzed by Maxar. In an accompanying note, Maxar said the deployments “reflect an increased level of activity and readiness.”

While Russian capabilities and movements can often be observed, the Kremlin’s intentions are much more difficult to read.

US President Joe Biden said last week that an invasion of Ukraine in February is “a distinct possibility.”

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that “it is highly likely that [President Putin] is likely to invade Ukraine.

“There is a real threat of invasion, but we don’t know what’s going to happen,” she told the BBC on January 30.



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