NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the alliance would not be deploying combat troops to Ukraine, which is not a member.
The United States and its allies in Europe are concerned that Russia, which has amassed a significant military presence along its border with Ukraine, could invade after weeks of military maneuvering by Moscow. Those fears have ramped up even further in recent days.
“NATO will not deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine, but we need to be sure that there is no misunderstanding about our readiness, our commitment to defend all allies, especially in the eastern part of the alliance,” Stoltenberg said on CNN on Tuesday.
His announcement came a day after Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby revealed 8,500 troops were put on “heightened alert” for a possible deployment. The alert order was sent to units currently in the U.S. who would be mobilized as a part of NATO forces if the alliance chose to activate a military response.
Despite the preemptive measure, President Joe Biden said he had “no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine,” though he noted that there “are going to be serious economic consequences if he moves.”
The White House is instead threatening new export controls targeting strategic Russian industries to deter an incursion.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Monday that Russian military aggression could “come at any time,” and they are “prepared in any moment to take military action.”
The White House said last week it is concerned “Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine” and that Putin could conduct a “false flag operation” to drum up a supposed reason to justify a military response. At the negotiating table, Russia has demanded NATO exclude Ukraine and other nations formerly a part of the Soviet Union.
Despite the increased tensions, Stoltenberg noted there is “still a diplomatic way out” of the crisis. However, he noted such an ending “requires that Russia de-escalates and is ready to engage in good faith in political talks with NATO and NATO allies.”
Earlier this week, NATO agreed to deploy additional ships and fighter jets to operate as a “deterrence and defense as Russia continues its military build-up in and around Ukraine,” according to a statement.
Last weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken ordered “eligible family members” of U.S. diplomats in Kyiv to leave the country, granting permission for “non-emergency U.S. government employees” to depart if they so choose. Around the same time, British officials publicly revealed they have intelligence purportedly showing Putin initially planned to oust Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The U.S. has also provided additional weapons to Ukraine ahead of any possible conflict.
“In addition to our diplomatic coordination, we are assisting Ukraine with new lethal defensive security systems, including ammunition to the front-line defenders of Ukraine,” a senior State Department official told reporters on Sunday. “The first of several shipments for Ukrainian Armed Forces, totaling $200 million, arrived in Kyiv on January 22, yesterday — and more will arrive in the weeks to come.”
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Russia and the U.S. have repeatedly engaged in diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating, though they have largely been unsuccessful.
