Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revealed that the United States has seen Russia not only increase the number of troops surrounding Ukraine, but that “some” of them have moved closer to the border.
“We see them add to the more than 150,000 troops that they already have arrayed on that border even in the last couple days,” he said during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Belgium on Thursday. “We see some outhouse troops inch closer to that border.”
Austin argued the new movements made by the Russian military are “contrary” to recent statements from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who recently said he’d be willing to defuse the situation diplomatically and that some troops were leaving the border after having completed their training exercises.
SENATE SPLIT ON IMPOSING RUSSIAN SANCTIONS BEFORE OR AFTER INVASION OF UKRAINE
“We see them fly in more combat and support aircraft,” he added, noting the recently added military presence. “We see them sharpen their readiness in the Black Sea. We even see them stocking up their blood supplies.”
Austin’s comments coincided with a variety of strong statements from U.S. officials signaling a heightened concern for a possible invasion.
“The evidence on the ground is that Russia is moving toward an imminent invasion,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who leads the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, told reporters Thursday morning. “This is a crucial moment. This morning’s Council meeting should not distract us from that fact — it should focus on what is happening right now in Ukraine.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make an emergency appearance before the U.N. Security Council on Thursday.
President Joe Biden warned that the likelihood of an invasion within the next couple of days is “very high” on Thursday. A day earlier, a senior administration official told reporters that Russia had increased its troops on the border “by as many as 7,000,” while Biden had pegged the total number to be north of 150,000 a day earlier.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
While the U.S. continues to pursue diplomatic solutions, Biden has deployed roughly 6,000 troops to Europe to show support for allies while another 8,500 U.S. service members remain on “heightened alert” for a deployment should NATO call up its forces.
The troops will not enter Ukraine to fight Russia should an invasion occur, nor will they go in to help Americans escape, but they will be able to help evacuate Americans once they cross into a neighboring country should it become necessary. The U.S. government has repeatedly urged Americans in Ukraine to leave before an invasion in case it halts commercial travel.
