The White House said it would review America’s military posture in Eastern Europe if Russia’s threat to Ukraine grows, signaling a possible escalation of Washington’s involvement.
President Joe Biden said he would send 3,000 troops to Poland and Romania as Russia continues to amass troops on Ukraine’s borders.
“If Russia stays on an escalatory path, we will make force posture adjustments,” said press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday.
She said the decision to send U.S. forces to the region was not a reaction to new intelligence or information but intended to demonstrate U.S. capabilities.
THREATS TO PUTIN’S INNER CIRCLE MAY DO LITTLE TO SHIFT UKRAINE PLANS
“This is a reflection of our robust capabilities and our ability to distribute them across Europe, but it’s also consistent with a lot of what our NATO partners are doing,” Psaki added.
Biden had promised last week to send U.S. forces to the region “if he moves,” meaning if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to attack Ukraine. While that has not occurred, U.S. officials have warned of Russian troop movements to Belarus, which borders Kyiv to the north.
Asked to respond to claims by Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov that the decision was unjustified and destructive, Biden’s press secretary cited Putin’s failure to draw down Moscow’s troop presence.
“We have not seen de-escalatory actions,” Psaki said.
On Monday, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned in remarks at the United Nations Security Council that the number of troops on the Belarus-Ukraine border could grow to more than 30,000 in the coming weeks.
Moscow has denied any intention to invade Ukraine but has demanded security concessions from NATO, including a promise the alliance would not add Ukraine as a member. In remarks Tuesday, Putin said the United States had ignored his security demands.
The Russian leader has said the conflict could end if each parties’ interests are met.
“I hope that we will eventually find a solution, although we realize that it’s not going to be easy,” Putin said Tuesday.
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All sides have said they are open to more dialogue, though weeks of diplomatic talks have yielded little progress.
