Biden talks with European leaders about Ukraine
The White House announced Monday that US President Joe Biden will hold a video conference with European leaders on Ukraine today, media sources reported.
The White House added that the talks are being held to discuss a joint response to Russian military pressure around Ukraine.
The New York Times reports that the United States is considering sending 5,000 troops to NATO allies in the Baltic and Eastern Europe.
Increasing the US military presence in Eastern Europe could include sending between 1,000 and 5,000 troops along with warships and fighter jets.
The media also said that if the situation worsens, this number could increase significantly.
CNN also reported that the Pentagon is identifying units to be sent to Eastern Europe and the Baltic, but a final decision has not yet been made.
The option was raised during a meeting between Biden and his advisers, including Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Sunday.
“Even if we are on the path to diplomacy, we are much more focused on strengthening our defense and deterrence,” Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told CBS News. If Russia continues to pursue hostile actions, NATO will continue to strengthen significantly.
Biden has not previously considered any military options, including the deployment of a surplus US force in Ukraine, and has made it clear that his administration is not seeking another conflict after Washington’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Western countries and Kiev have recently made claims about a possible Russian “invasion” of Ukraine. Russian Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that the strengthening of the Ukrainian army on the Donbass contact line indicates its readiness to attack the region in eastern Ukraine.
According to the Sputnik website; Denis Pushilin, the self-proclaimed president of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, had said that Kiev was preparing to invade the territory by moving artillery and tanks to the contact line.
The Russian presidential spokesman added that in fact, Ukraine has deployed a large amount of troops, equipment and military equipment on the border with its so-called republics, and the nature of this concentration of forces indicates readiness for offensive operations, and this threat now exists. .
The Donbas region is located in the east of Ukraine with a Russian population, and since 2014, the Russians of this region have established the two self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, and have formed local governments independent of the Ukrainian government.
Russia has repeatedly called on the Ukrainian government to negotiate with representatives of the two regions to reach an agreement and resolve disputes, but Kiev denies accusing Moscow of supporting and encouraging separatists and negotiating with representatives of these regions.
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