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LAST UPDATE | 2 Feb 2022
US PRESIDENT JOE Biden is sending troops to fortify NATO forces in eastern Europe in response to rising tensions over Ukraine.
Around 2,000 troops will be sent from Fort Bragg, North Carolina to Poland and Germany, while another 1,000 already in Germany will be moved to Romania.
The move was confirmed by an administration official, who said: “At the president’s direction and following Secretary [Lloyd] Austin’s recommendation, the Department of Defense will reposition certain Europe-based units further east, forward deploy additional US-based units to Europe, and maintain the heightened state of readiness of response forces to meet these commitments.”
“These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions,” the official added.
Biden had previously said that NATO forces in eastern Europe would be bolstered but had not indicated the size of the deployment.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the scale of the deployment is “very much in keeping with the president’s comments”.
He added that the troop movements will take place “in the coming days” and that more troops could be moved eastwards “it that’s desired and needed”.
“The steps I’m talking about today, could very well be preliminary steps to future ones that we might take,” he said, adding that other countries are involved:
It’s worth reminding that Romania as a sovereign state has their own military and a very capable one at that. It’s not just the United States sending a Stryker squadron, the French are going to be sending additional troops, I’ll let them speaking to what they’re going to do and on what timeline and and how much. As I also said in my opening statement, other countries are likewise moving forward to provide bolstering capabilities to NATO allies on the eastern flank.
Arms control
The deployment comes despite efforts to ease tension in Europe, with US and NATO allies reportedly offering Moscow arms control and trust-building measures to defuse the threat of a new Russian offensive against Ukraine.
The proposals, set out in letters by NATO and the United States last month in response to Russian demands, remain firm on insisting that Ukraine and any other sovereign country has a right to apply to join the alliance, according to documents published by El Pais today.
But the reported US response — posted to the Spanish daily’s website — suggests “reciprocal commitments by both the United States and Russia to refrain from deploying offensive ground-launched missile systems and permanent forces with a combat mission in the territory of Ukraine”.
Both the US and NATO documents urge Russia to restore diplomatic ties with the alliance and to renew and renegotiate nuclear missile control treaties with the United States.
Moscow is urged to re-engage with the NATO-Russia council, a diplomatic body “offering dialogue and partnership in place of conflict and distrust.”
A NATO official refused to confirm the text, saying: “We never comment on alleged leaks.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was aware of the report but added: “We didn’t publish anything, and I don’t want to comment on this.”
President Vladimir Putin’s government has deployed a huge force — more than 100,000 strong — on its territory near the Ukraine border and in Crimea, a Ukrainian region that Russia annexed in 2014.
The Kremlin has demanded that NATO guarantee that Kiev never be allowed to join NATO and that the alliance withdraw forces from eastern member states that were Soviet allies or republics during the Cold War.
The western allies have dismissed calls to slam shut NATO’s door, but the leaked letters call for “meaningful arms control discussions and dialogue with Russia on mutual transparency and confidence-building measures.”
“No other partner has been offered a comparable relationship or a similar institutional framework,” the allies said of the NATO-Russia council, in the letter released by El Pais.
“Yet Russia has broken the trust at the core of our cooperation and challenged the fundamental principles of the global and Euro-Atlantic security architecture,” it says.
The US document stresses: “We are ready to consider arrangements or agreements with Russia on issues of bilateral concern, to include written, signed instruments, to address our respective security concerns.”
It suggests renewing the US-Russian Strategic Stability Dialogue on arms control agreements to “limit ground-based intermediate and shorter-range missiles and their launchers”.
But it repeats Washington’s warning that Russia is already in breach of the now suspended 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the US withdrew from in 2019, accusing Moscow of deploying a banned type of missile.
And it warns: “Further Russian increases in force posture or further aggression against Ukraine will force the United States and our Allies to strengthen our defensive posture.”
Putin has accused the US of trying to draw Russia into a war in Ukraine and ignoring its security concerns.
Speaking after a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Moscow yesterday, Putin said the Kremlin was studying a response from Washington and NATO to Russia’s security demands, but that it had been far from adequate.
“It is already clear that fundamental Russian concerns ended up being ignored,” Putin told reporters.
© AFP 2022 with reporting by Rónán Duffy and Press Association
Like most people commenting under Journal articles, I’m Irish. We are a supposedly neutral country. In this Ukraine debacle, it is important we recognise both Western meddling in Ukraine with the Yushenko Orange Revolution and with the politically illegal coup d’etat against Victor Yanukovich in the Maidan “revolution”, not to mention Western goading and arming of Ukraine against Russian pockets of their own country. At the same time, of course Russia had meddled and continues to meddle in Ukraine.
We can’t simply say “Russia bad” or “Western interference bad”. We have to see Ukraine (which means borderland) as a state that is kind of European (EU) and kind of Eurasian (Russia’s union), depending on which part of Ukraine you ask!
@Rob Dowling: “Western goading and arming of Ukraine against Russian pockets of their own country”
Ukraine is entitled to be armed as a country, especially when it’s neighbouring country has it surrounded with troops, has illegally annexed part of its country and is attempt to annex more of it.
@Seán Ó Briain: US forces are also surrounding Ukraine despite the Ukrainian president ” calling the for the west to be calm and not to panic. War isn’t as immanent as respected western leaders have been saying. Negotiations are going well”. So the US are not listening to the Ukrainian president and sending more troops which causes more tension. Not once have you said anything about the west not listening to Ukrainians wishes. Why?
@Seán Ó Briain: Ukraine is like Northern Ireland, its population has different loyalties. You are engaging in a weak propaganda, where the West Ukranians are “Ukraine” but the Russian-speaking freedom fighters in Dinetsk and Luhansk don’t count as fellow Ukranians. The West “Ukranian” army is using its weaponry against Donetsk and Luhansk, fellow Ukranians with loyalties to Russia, not Europe/NATO.
@Rob Dowling: As for the contentious impeachment of Yanukovych, the vote was 328 to 0 (100% majority), additionally 36 out of 38 members of Yanukovych’s own party (95%), the pro-Russia Party of Regions, voted for his impeachment (2 abstained).
However, according to the Ukrainian constitution, the Rada (parliament) had to first charge Yanukovych with a crime, review those the charges in the Constitutional Court, and then vote for impeachment by at least 75% majority vote. Since Yanukovych had fled the country and was missing, the basis of the impeachment, it was not possible to formally lay charges against him and review those charges in the Constitutional Court. The constitution was not able to cope with a scenario where a president flees the country and can’t be found.
By the way, Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, who along with Dr. Alexander Mishkin, attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal, and blew up an arms dump in the Czech Republic in 2014 (weapons destined for Ukraine), was decorated for participating in the extraction of Viktor Yanukovych from Ukraine.
@Rob Dowling: “Russian-speaking freedom fighters”
Shot down MH17. And here’s video footage of those “freedom fighters” bombing civilians in Mariupol:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p869m4rip5c
And Kramatorsk:
@David Jordan: So Yanukovich was a corrupt autocrat in the Eurasian model. Wow David thanks for that, who knew? Doesn’t change the fundamental contours of Ukraine – it is approximately half-Europe oriented, half-Russia/Eurasia oriented.
There is no outcome here when your side wins, Ukraine is declared Europe-oriented and Donetsk/Luhansk/Kharkiv/Crimea concede and go home. On the contrary. If you are a man of peace, you’ll want a solution that respects the reality of Ukraine – the borderland state.
@Roy Dowling: “US forces are also surrounding Ukraine despite the Ukrainian president”
LMAO. You can’t say that with a serious face. The US aren’t attempting to annex parts of Ukraine or invade it nor are them attempting to invade or annex parts of Russia.
Russia has over 100,000 soldiers, tanks, armoured vehicles, fighter jets and ships surrounding Ukraine’s north, eastern and southern borders.
To even try and compare the two is the single most stupid thing I’ve ever read on here.
@David Jordan: where have I defended Russian freedom fighters? I don’t agree with anything Russia is doing. I don’t want them anywhere near the Ukraine. But that doesn’t mean I’ll blindly follow the US pushing their agenda. History has shown the US will only do what benefits the US and it’ll consider Ukraine as collateral damage to get it. They have done it all over the world and now they are currently massing troops on the Ukrainian eastern border all the while saying they’ll only hot russian with major economic sanctions should they invade.
Both the US and Russia need to leave Ukraine alone. But neither will.
@Seán Ó Briain: Where have I said the US have annexed any part of the Ukraine?. They’ve stated many times they won’t put ground troops in Ukraine they’ll only hit Russia with extreme sanctions. So if they have no plans to go in with troops if Russia invade why are they building up troops on the border? And if Iraq and Afghanistan are anything to go by if they do go in the won’t be quick to leave. Also the 11 thousand troops deployed between today and 2 days ago were additional troops sent from the US to reinforce US troops already in Europe. You realise the US have over 700 military bases all over the planet and have between 30 to 40 thousand troops in Germany alone. They also have thousands of troops already in Poland, Romania, and Hungary on the Ukrainian border. But you knew that.
@Seán Ó Briain: Also Sean why are you ignoring the fact that the US didn’t listen to what the Ukrainian president wants? He wants calm while negotiation at going well. Yet instead of waiting to see how negotiation go the US have repeatedly announced it’ll hit Russia with more and more sanctions and it’s sending more troops to Europe. Why is it if Russia ignore then Ukrainian government you post about it but when the US ignore the Ukrainian government you go quite?
@Seán Ó Briain: instead the USA is planning to stop Russia selling natural gas to Europe and instead sell it’s own gas to Europe and the US is even brokering a deal with Qatar to supply Europe with gas. The policy of reducing Russian gas supplies to Europe has been around since before Biden and I think it is high time that Europe as a body tell the USA not to interfere in the supply of Energy to Europe.
Having failed to get sanctions to stop the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from being built it looks to me like they are shouting War! War!
This is even on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_Stream states
“The Nord Stream projects have been fiercely opposed by the United States and Ukraine, as well as by other Central and Eastern European countries, because of concerns that the pipelines would increase Russia’s influence in Europe, and because of the knock-on reduction of transit fees for use of the existing pipelines in Central and Eastern European countries.” and has supporting references.
The USA and UK, who lied to create a war in Iraq, appear to me to be trying to stage or provoke or claim a Russion international incident and implement sanctions that they are currently legislating for.
The Russian’s pay the Ukraine to allow gas travel from Russia to the rest of Europe, These would reduce or stop when the new gas pipeline would come on stream. This makes some interesting reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia%E2%80%93Ukraine_gas_disputes
It is my belief that this has at least as much to do about gas supplies and Russian influence on Europe as it has to do with troop buildups.
The situation in the Crimea has existed since 2014 and in the Donbas region since 2015, and Russia has moved troops around before.
I am not condoning the “provocation” by the Russians with troop movements or exercises but I am simply asking why would anyone believe the self serving USA and UK when shouting that “war is imminent” when even the Ukrainian president says it is not. There is an ongoing under current of who supplies natural gas to Europe and how and I believe this is the end game here not the defense of the Ukraine.
@David Jordan: those that shot down that jet should in The Hague tried as war criminals for internationally shooting down a passenger jet overflying a war zone. airspace was open at the time for passenger jets to fly over it.
@Roy Dowling: troops only there to protect NATO members and to deter Putin that if he wants a war he will get one, it’s a war Russia can’t win
@alan scott: So Russia suddenly plans to invade Romania, Poland and Hungary now? We all know if Russia go into Ukraine from the east NATO and US will be going into Ukraine from the east. They have to much to lose if Ukraine falls under Russian control.
@Roy Dowling: except the ukrainians will invite nato in.
@superdooper: History has shown that when the US go in invited or not they don’t leave. US has over 700 bases all over the world. troops in Iraq, Germany, Japan, etc long after the wars are over they still remain.
@Roy Dowling: I responded to Rob Dowling. But are you the same person? Posting using two accounts, on Twitter and FB, forgot which account you’re using?
@David Jordan: were not the same person. I just seen Dowling and assumed you were replying to me. My apologies
@Roy Dowling: but amazingly the countries they are in don’t ask them to leave!! it sounds like they are in some way allied to these countries . hmmm
@superdooper: when you go into countries topple there government install a government yourself then stay you can’t reall say there allies can you?
@David Jordan: I’m not Roy Dowling, although I suppose us Putinbots are almost indistinguishable.
@Rob Dowling: Well said.. Dont let a story get in the way of the facts
@Roy Dowling: you mean when you topple a dictator and allow democratic elections for the first time :)
@Rob Dowling: Yes Rob. BTW we are not neutral.
Biden determined to start this war and shift the focus away from his many political disasters.
Ukraine quietly thinking to itself. Russian troops to east of me, US troops to the right, here I am stuck in the middle of both.
@Roy Dowling: clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right
Russia with its massive military has no justification in starting a war claiming it feels insecure compared to the relatively small Ukrainian.
@Tom Molloy: it’s not the relatively small Ukraine Russia has a problem with. It’s the very big NATO that want Ukraine to join so it can move into Ukraine. NATO say this won’t happen but Russia moves it’s tropos inside its own borders and Suddenly NATO are shipping in billions of weapons have American Carrier group on stand by in the Mediterranean, and US and NATO troops assembling on Ukraine’s western border. Seems NATO is fairly quick to respond in the aid of a non NATO country against Russia moving troops inside its own territory. The Same NATO are also standing back and letting Saudi Arabia bomb Yemen with western made weapons and Israel use its army to land grab in Palestine with western made weapons. All the while saying it doesn’t like aggressive nations.
@Roy Dowling: Jays
@Roy Dowling: egypt is bombing yemen with russian made weapons .
@superdooper: Yep. But it shows when it suits NATO and the US they look away.
@Roy Dowling: protecting NATO members, something you don’t obviously understand.
@alan scott: Ukraine isn’t a NATO member. Why are they protecting it then?
@Roy Dowling: russia isnt doing anything to spot it either? US isnt the world police nor is NATO
@superdooper: NATO/US act like the world when it suits them. That’s the problem. They will only get involved when it had benefits to them exactly like Russia. There all the same.
@Roy Dowling: its more that you seem to expect nato to be the world police and are angry that they arent
@Roy Dowling: not protecting Ukraine as per say, defending NATO member states that could get the tail end of Russias fury.
@Rob Dowling: Western corporate media is a relentless misinformation machine when it comes to geopolitcs. We need to hear more from the Russian side to get crackers like this -
“There is always room for diplomacy, but frankly, we don’t trust British diplomacy. In recent years British diplomacy showed it’s absolutely worthless. US/UK intelligence reports aren’t credible. Yesterday it was 100k troops, now 130k. It’s happening in their heads.””Now its already 130k troops. I see that inflation is very high these days, it was 100,000 yesterday,” the Russian envoy told Sky News on Wednesday. “I don’t know where they take these figures from & we have absolutely no trust in the intelligence data from the US & the UK.”
“this is the same intelligence that claimed that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. The hysteria doesn’t stop, it’s absolutely happening in the heads of Western politicians.”
@Kerrill Thornhill: so there are 100,000 troops on the ukrainian border ?
Eventually NATO will agree not to have Ukraine join for now,, but will put into place a plan for its future involvement. Putin will shout that it will never happen, Biden will shout It will absolutely happen before his term is over, both save face and both can go on shouting… Hopefully.
@Seymour business: That’s been the current plan for a long time. It’s not a future plan it’s in effect already.
Don’t appease the b6st6rd, he’ll make you look a f00l. Again.
@Eoin Roche: He’ll win a war against Ukraine. There is mow only appeasement (you think West loses) or war (West definitely loses Ukraine).
You are posturing like there is another option, tell Putin to Eff Off. Eh the West tried that, and here we are.
@Eoin Roche: So what’s your solution war? How will that help the Ukrainian people?
@Roy Dowling: NATO was the ones who moved Eastwards it was them who broke their word, Biden and Boris by sending more troops is provoking a response I hope doesn’t happen. Boris is using the Ukraine crisis for himself it’s as simple as that.
@Thomas Armstrong: I know Thomas. I’ve been trying to tell people on here that Russia isn’t the only one at fault for this crisis. But for some on here it’s ok when the western powers breaks agreements.
@Roy Dowling: My solution is whatever the people of Ukraine wish to do to retain what’s left of the territorial integrity of their Country to regain full sovereignty over Crimea and Russian provoked conflict regions in the East.
@Eoin Roche: That would be what I want. Can you tell me why then when the Ukrainian president called for calm and respected western not to panic, negotiations are going well, the US ignored him and deployed more troops to US and NATO bases on the Ukrainian western border and then the US secretary of state cut Ukraine out of his meeting with the Russian equivalent the next. Does that tell you the US have Ukraines best interest at hand…
@Roy Dowling: I’m from Moldova and can say 100% that Russia is at fault here.
They have “peacekeepers” in the separatist region of Transnistria that at one point tjey promissed to withdaraw but didn’t.
PS: Moldova is a neutral country , so what right do those they have to be in my country .
@Roy Dowling: did the russians not ask for ukraine ti be allowed back into this meeting ? why would the russians agree to ukraine not be allowed access to their meeting? sounds suspicious.
@Marta Antoci: Honestly I didnt know Russia had troops in Moldova. I don’t support Russia in any way and I sincerely hope they leave your country. But can I ask where is the NATO/US response to Russia being in your country? No sanctions against Russia for being there. No build of NATO/US forces to encourage Russia to leave. If anything your countries current situation shows how NATO/US are particularly at fault for the current situation in Ukraine. NATO/ US are quick to get involved in Ukraine because it’ll benefits them. But unfortunately Moldova doesn’t so your left on your own.
@superdooper: As I’ve said many times. Neither side car about Ukraine. They both only care about themselves, Ukraine will be considered collateral damage by both of them if a war does break out.
@Roy Dowling: Earlier you were saying that NATO souldn’t get involved , now you’re asking why didn’t they get involved!!!
The russian troops have been there since 1992 ( as you can imagine that was a turbulent time for everyone in eastern europe) . Russia has no rights to ukraine but putin wishes to revive ussr or the empire , putin doesn’t want ukraine to exist as a country
@Roy Dowling: every singple post roy you make sure to mention you dont support Russia then in the same breath blame everything on the US
@superdooper: spot on ,
it’s none of Russia’s business if Ukraine( a sovereign country) wants to join NATO
Russia demanded NATO to go back to the 1997 borders and that is an outrageous demand. That would mean kicking out members like Romania and Poland that have willingly applied for membership, what right does Putin think he has?!
@Marta Antoci: Neither NATO/US or Russia should be in your country or Ukraine. My point is why is NATO/US defending Ukraine and not your country? Why are the Russians not being challenged in Moldova but we could see a major war between Russia and NATO/US if Russia inavdes Ukraine.
What has Ukraine got that Moldova hasn’t that NATO/US wants to protect? Personally I want Russian forces in Russia and NATO/US forces in there countries.
@superdooper: Ive blamed Russia and the US so don’t lie. There both wrong. There both only interested in what benefits there nation. Neither give a dam about Ukraine.
@Roy Dowling: come on now Roy be honest the tone and content of your comments tells a different story. Read through them. youre overwhelming anti nato and US
@Roy Dowling: but the US excluded Ukraine, you hust saud that! did Russia not stand up for Ukraine against blatant anti ukrainian nato
@superdooper: nope. I dislike the Russian, American, British, and all superpower militaries equally. They only do what benefits themselves and don’t care how many die to get what they want. Only reason Im speaking out against NATO/US on this more is everyone thinks they are the good guys and do no wrong. But iny Life time The US and Britain militaries NATO’s 2 big guns have been in more wars than any other country. They are as bad as Russia in my opinion and I’ll never support any the 3 of them
@Roy Dowling: Read the answer in the letter NATO gave back to putin’s demands .
In it NATO requests Russia’s withdrawal from Moldova and Georgia, so they do defend Moldova as well.
And if we ever decide we want to join, we will apply and joind and Russia can’t do nothing about it, they are not our masters.
If we want NATO in our country , NATO will be in our country, the difference with russia beingn that we would want NATO, we would call NATO
At least there speaking.
Who would get benefits If the war breaks out between Russia and Ukraine? Who would suffer most?
@Ní neart go cur le chéile.: well russia gets permanent access to their naval base in crimea. they also gain a buffer state with the west.
@Ní neart go cur le chéile.: if there is an international incident, not even an invasion, then US and UK sanctions will kick in and cut Russian natural gas supplies to Europe to be replaced with US natural gas and Qatar natural gas in a US brokered deal. This has been the US stated objective since the Russians started building an under sea gas pipeline to Germany. This would hurt Russia even more than war. It would also hurt the countries that currently get gas transit fees. It would hurt the supply and maybe the cost of gas in Europe with the winner being the US (and Qatar) with increased gas sales to Europe.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: then Europe will rely on US more than before and give US arms/weaponry industry threat business again
@Ní neart go cur le chéile.: What is the alternative then? Having to live in fear every winter thinking of when Putin is about to start the blackmail? Risking being frozen to death?
Say we let them have the Ukraine, what next?!
They will want Moldova ( i’m from there and don’t fancy being fully occupied by the russians , since they already occupy a part of our country).
After moldova they will want the Baltics , then Poland , and so on until you’ll wake up to them being at your doorstep.
Putin is not for modern times, he lives in the 19th century, Russian Imperialist. I dont know how he thinks Russia will survive just strolling into Ukraine and start taking over with or without force, it’s easy for small provinces along the border but an entire country? this will be his folly and the end of him thank god.
Now I know Ukraine has oil.
Putins like a magpie and akin to them grey crows.. barbarous and vile!
@Splat: what does that make America????
@Francis Sally: a country?
@Francis Sally: dem are de cousins
have your say