NATO said on Monday that it was deploying troops and strengthening eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, in what Russia called a “Western chaos” in response to military operations on the Ukrainian border.
The US Department of Defense in Washington has said about 8,500 U.S. troops have been deployed vigilantly and awaiting orders to be deployed in the region, should Russia attack Ukraine.
The situation is tense after Russia recruits about 100,000 troops to reach its neighbor’s border.
Russia denies plans to strike. But as it surrounds Ukraine with force from the north, east and south, Moscow now cites the Western response as evidence that Russia is the target, not the instigator, of violence.
President Joe Biden, who fights for transatlantic unity, held an 80-minute secure video call with several European leaders on Monday from the White House Situation Room to discuss the Ukraine crisis, the White House said.
Welcoming a series of distributions announced by coalition members in recent days, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had earlier said that NATO would take “all necessary steps.”
“We will always respond to any deterioration in our security situation, which includes strengthening our collective defense,” Stoltenberg said in a statement.
He told a press conference that the improved presence on the eastern side of NATO could involve the deployment of other warring factions.
“We are also considering having military units … in the southeast of the federation,” Stoltenberg said.
To date, NATO has about 4,000 troops in international wars in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, backed by tanks, air defense and intelligence and surveillance units.
U.S. officials say the Pentagon is finalizing efforts to identify certain units it could send to NATO’s eastern side.
One official said more than 5,000 people could be sent, and a NATO official said Washington was considering gradually moving some Western European troops to eastern Europe in the coming weeks.
Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands were all planning or considering sending troops, planes or ships to eastern Europe, NATO said. Ukraine shares borders with four NATO countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.
A Polish official said Warsaw would draw a line to send troops to Ukraine.
CONTINUED AGAIN
As tensions escalated, Britain said it was withdrawing some staff and dependents from the embassy in Ukraine, and the next day the United States https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-faces-severe-sanctions-if-it -installs-puppet-regime-ukraine-uk-minister-2022-01-23 said it was ordering members of the embassy family to leave. US politicians are allowed to travel voluntarily.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Western countries of “hysteria” and of stating “false” details.
“In terms of specific actions, we are seeing North Atlantic Alliance statements about reinforcement, gravity and resources on the east side. All of this leads to the fact that conflicts are growing,” he said.
“This is not because of what we, Russia, are doing. It is all because of what NATO and the U.S. are doing and because of the information they are disseminating.”
Global stock markets are falling as hopes of a Russian attack eliminate the need for dangerous assets like bitcoin, and strengthen the dollar and oil. The ruble has plummeted for 14 months against the dollar, and Russian stocks and bonds have plummeted.
Russia has used its allies to draw Western nations into talks after introducing demands for a redesign of Europe’s security map. It demands that
NATO never approves Ukraine and withdraws troops and weapons from former Communist countries eastern Europe joined it after the Cold War.
Washington says those needs are not new but are ready to discuss other ideas about arms control, deployment and self-confidence strategies.
Russia is awaiting a written response from the US this week after talks last Friday – the fourth round of this month – were unsuccessful.
‘PAIN, VIOLENCE, AND BLOOD’
Asked if he thought the attack would take place, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told broadcasters that intelligence was “very painful at this point” but “the idea could still work.”
He reiterated Western warnings that the Ukrainian invasion would be a “painful, violent and bloody business” in Russia.
The United States and the European Union, which have warned of Russia’s intentions since seizing Crimea and supporting those fighting with government forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014, have told Russia it will face severe sanctions if it attacks again.
EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have warned Russia that it will face “serious” consequences, but are divided over how difficult it will be in Moscow and have not said what the consequences will be.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told EU President Charles Michel by telephone that it was important for Kyiv for the EU to show solidarity.
“Ukraine will not be prosecuted, and in cooperation with its partners, they will remain calm and restrained,” his office said.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive committee, has proposed a package of 1.2 billion euros ($ 1.36-billion) to help Ukraine reduce the effects of the conflict.
A Russian team source said political advisers from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany would meet in Paris on Wednesday for talks to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where about 15,000 people have been killed since 2014. Previous attempts have been unsuccessful. .