Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refused to rule out any further deployments to Europe. /AP
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby refused to rule out any further deployments to Europe. /AP
The U.S. has announced that it will deploy almost 3,000 extra troops to Europe in the coming days amid fears over the ongoing standoff between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia has recently sent more than 100,000 of its own troops to the Ukrainian border, with nations across the world worried that they could soon be deployed in an invasion.
While Russia denies the claims, the country has said that it would take military action unless its security demands are met, after opposing Ukraine's wish to join the U.S.-led NATO military alliance.
READ MORE
When surgery was without painkillers
Boris Johnson's partygate explained
What is the Year of the Tiger?
The U.S. currently has 8,500 of its own troops on standby to be deployed to Europe if required, with these extra few thousand personnel above and beyond that number.
Around 1,000 of the troops will be sent to Romania, while 1,700 service members will deploy from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Poland. A further 300 will move from Fort Bragg to Germany.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to mount. /AP
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to mount. /AP
Speaking at a news briefing on Wednesday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the troops were being deployed to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin against an invasion.
"It's important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and, frankly, to the world that NATO matters to the United States and it matters to our allies," Kirby said.
And this may not be the last set of troops the U.S. sends to Europe, with Kirby revealing that the Pentagon was open to sending further military personnel if required.
"I can't be perfectly predictive about how this is going to go, and it's precisely because we can't be perfectly predictive that we want to be prepared," he added.
Meanwhile, Poland's defense minister Mariusz Blaszcak welcomed the U.S. move.
"Increasing the American presence in Poland by 1,700 soldiers is a strong signal of solidarity in response to a possible Russian aggression against Ukraine," he said.