Biden Mulls Sending Thousands Of Troops, Warships To Russia’s Doorstep
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden is considering deploying thousands of additional U.S. troops as well as warships and aircraft to the Baltics and Eastern Europe, amid fears of a Russian invasion into Ukraine, officials said Sunday.
The options include sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries, potentially increasing that number tenfold if things deteriorate.
The announcement published by The New York Times newspaper Sunday came after Worthy News citing a senior U.S. security diplomat, revealed that tens of thousands of U.S. troops are in Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
Worthy News obtained a list specifying the exact numbers for each country under the condition that they aren’t revealed yet amid security concerns.
Additionally, there are reportedly some American special forces and air forces in Ukraine, apparently for training or defense purposes. Officially Biden said he would not commit troops to Ukraine.
Russian forces are also in Ukraine to provoke a pretext for an invasion, a well-informed U.S. diplomatic source told Worthy News.
MILITARY INVOLVEMENT
He requested anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
The expansion of American military involvement comes as some 127,000 Russian troops are already near Ukraine’s borders, according to a Ukrainian intelligence assessment.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ramped up his perceived actions toward Ukraine as talks between U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov ended Friday without a breakthrough.
Over the weekend, the U.S. embassy in Kyiv confirmed the delivery of nearly 200,000 pounds of “lethal aid” to Ukraine, including ammunition for frontline defenders.
In a meeting on Saturday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, senior Pentagon officials presented Biden with several options to move thousands of U.S. troops closer to Putin’s doorstep.
Biden was due to decide on the latest military movement early as this week.
PRO-RUSSIAN LEADER
The military standoff came after Britain accused Moscow of developing plans to install a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine, charges Moscow denies.
Earlier on Sunday, the U.S. State Department ordered relatives of diplomatic personnel at the embassy in Kyiv to leave Ukraine.
It also gave harmful travel advice for the country, citing an “increased threat of a Russian invasion” and the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised U.S. citizens to leave Ukraine.
“There are reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine. The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice,” the State Department said.
“Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv.”
It warned that “U.S. citizens in Ukraine should be aware that Russian military action anywhere in Ukraine would severely impact the U.S. Embassy’s ability to provide consular services, including assistance to U.S. citizens in departing Ukraine.”
The U.S. added negative travel advice for Russia later on Sunday. “Given the ongoing volatility of the situation, U.S. citizens are strongly advised against traveling by land from Russia to Ukraine through this region. In addition, there is the potential throughout Russia of harassment towards foreigners, including through regulations targeted specifically against foreigners.”
EMERGENCY SERVICES
It noted that the “U.S. government’s ability to provide routine or emergency services to U.S. citizens in Russia is already severely limited.”
That was especially the case “in areas far from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow due to Russian government limitations on U.S. staffing and the suspension of consular services at U.S. consulates.”
U.S. officials say the threat of a Russian invasion is real as Russia already annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Moscow also supports Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a conflict that has killed some 14,000 people.
Russia denies its troops are directly involved in the fighting.
Moscow says it has no intention to invade Ukraine but wants security guarantees, including halting the U.S.-led NATO alliance’s further expansion into Ukraine.
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