U.S. sending troops to eastern Europe, but not Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden is ordering 2,000U.S.-basedtroopsto Poland and Germany and shifting 1,000 morefrom Germany to Romania,demonstrating to both allies and foes America's commitment to NATO's eastern flank amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

Russia fired back with a sharply worded objection, calling the deployments unfounded and "destructive."

Russian President Vladimir Putin also had a new telephone exchange with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Readouts from both governments showed no progress, with Putin saying the West was giving no ground on Russia's security concerns and Johnson expressing deep concern about Russia's "hostile activity" on the Ukrainian border,referring to Putin's buildup of 100,000 troops there.

The Biden administration is aiming to demonstrate U.S. resolve without undermining efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. Biden notably has not sent military reinforcements to the three Baltic countries on NATO's eastern flank Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that are former states of the Soviet Union.

WATCH | Sanctions not enough, Estonia's PM says:

Proactive sanctions would not deter Russia from invading Ukraine, says Estonia's Prime Minister

3 years ago

Duration 8:35

Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says imposing proactive sanctions on Russia would not deter President Putin from escalating and invading Ukraine.

No U.S. troops are being sent to Ukraine, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday said the administration has stopped calling a Russian invasion "imminent," because that word implies Washington knows Putin has made a decision to invade. Officials say Putin's intentions remain unclear.

However, increasing U.S. troop levels in eastern Europe is exactly what Putin has said he finds intolerable, along with the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO. The U.S. already has several thousand troops in Poland, and Romania is host to a NATO missile defence system that Russia considers a threat. The U.S. presence in the region has increased since 2014 when Russia made its first invasion of Ukraine.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the soon-to-deploy U.S. forces are intended to temporarily bolster U.S. and allied defensive positions.

"These are not permanent moves," he said, stressing that the purpose is to reassure allies. Kirby said Russia had continued its buildup, even in the previous 24 hours, despite U.S. urgingthat it de-escalate.

In Moscow, however, a senior official said the U.S. movementswill complicate the crisis.

"The unfounded destructive steps will only fuel military tensions and narrow the field for political decisions," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in remarks carried by the Interfax news agency.

Ukraine plays down invasion fears

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba again played down fears of a Russian attack in a call with reporters, but said that if Russia makes moves that could signal an imminent invasion, Ukraine would react as necessary.

Of the 2,000 U.S. troops newly deploying from Fort Bragg, N.C., about 1,700 are members of the 82nd Airborne Division infantry brigade, who will go to Poland. The other 300 are with the 18th Airborne Corps and will go to Germany aswhat the Pentagon called a "joint task force-capable headquarters."

WATCH | U.S. says it will help NATO respond:

U.S. moving troops to Europe as Russia-Ukraine tensions rise

3 years ago

Duration 1:28

The U.S. is sending additional soldiers to Europe's eastern flank with Russia to 'defend against any aggression,' says Pentagon press secretary John F. Kirby.

Poland's Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak wrote on Twitter that the U.S. deployment to his country is "a strong signal of solidarity in response to the situation in Ukraine."

The 1,000 U.S. troops going to Romania are members of the 2nd Cavalry Regiment based at Vilseck, Germany. They will augment about 900 U.S. troops already in Romania, Kirby said.

The cavalry deployment's purpose is to "deter aggression and enhance our defensive capabilities in front-line allied states during this period of elevated risk," the Pentagon said in a separate written statement.

"It's important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and to the world" of the U.S commitment to NATO, Kirby said.

WATCH | UN session full of recriminations:

Russia, Ukraine tensions take centre stage at UN

3 years ago

Duration 2:02

The diplomatic tensions over Ukraine reached new heights as the U.S. and Russia openly taunted each other at the UN, while Canada's foreign minister wrapped up a trip to Ukraine.

He said France has decided it, too, will send troop reinforcements to Romania under NATO command, noting that a number of other European NATO countries are considering adding forces on NATO's eastern flank.Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron touched base in a phone call Wednesday night.

Last week, the Canadian government announced it was extending and expanding the existing military training mission in Ukraine, Operation Unifier,adding another 60 troops to the 200 already on the ground. The option to add an additional 140 isalso on the table.

As part of last week's package, the Department of National Defencesaid it will also provide Ukraine with non-lethal military equipment, including body armour, metal detectors, thermal binoculars, laser range finders, tactical medical bags and surveillance technology. Lt.-Col. Luc-Frederic Gilbert told CBC News on Tuesday that the equipment is on its way and will arrive this week. He would not say which elements of the Ukrainian military will receive the gear.

LISTEN |How to deter Putin:

8:10Target the oligarchs who support Putin to stop Russian invasion of Ukraine, says financier turned activist

Bill Browder used to be one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia. Now, he's head of The Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign, named after his Russian lawyer, Sergei Magnitsky, who died in a Russian prison in 2009. Browder says that if Western countries really want to make Vladimir Putin think twice about invading Ukraine, they should target the Western bank accounts of the Russian oligarchs who support him.

NATO has been beefing up its defences around allies in eastern Europe since late last year. Denmark, for example, said it was sending a frigate and F-16 warplanes to Lithuania, and Spain was sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces. The Netherlands plans to send two F-35 fighter aircraft to Bulgaria in April and is putting a ship and land-based units on standby for NATO's Response Force.

Biden has said he will not put American troops in Ukraine to fight any Russian incursion, although the United States is supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend itself and seeking to reassure allies in eastern Europe that Washington will fulfilits treaty obligation to defend them in the event they are attacked.

Ukraine is not a NATO member and therefore the U.S. has no treaty obligation to come to its defence.