The Biden administration may move additional U.S. troops already stationed in Europe closer to Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion.
NATO has given the U.S. authority to activate its NATO defense, according to a statement shared to CNN on Thursday.
“Today we activated NATO’s defense stance that gives our military commanders more authority to move forces and to deploy forces when needed, and of course this can also be elements of the NATO response force,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday, CNN reported.
“We are ready, we are adjusting our posture but what we do is defensive, measured, and we don’t seek confrontation. We want to prevent the conflict,” he added.
Prior to the start of Russia’s invasion, another report noted that Biden was considering the deployment of thousands of troops to eastern Europe and Baltic nations.
“In a meeting on Saturday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, senior Pentagon officials presented Mr. Biden with several options that would shift American military assets much closer to Mr. Putin’s doorstep, the administration officials said. The options include sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries, with the potential to increase that number tenfold if things deteriorate,” The New York Times reported last month.
The need for an increased presence near Ukraine followed reports of more than 100,000 Russian troops amassed near its border and threats of invasion. The threat of invasion is now a reality, with armed conflict taking place overnight and world leaders responding with statements against Russia’s military actions.
In an early morning speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned outside forces not to “try to stop us.”
“Whoever would try to stop us and further create threats to our country, to our people, should know that Russia’s response will be immediate and lead you to such consequences that you have never faced in your history. We are ready for any outcome,” Putin said.
In addition to providing support to NATO allies in eastern Europe, U.S. Army personnel in Poland are preparing to move near the border of Ukraine to assist refugees expected to flee the country, according to an Army spokesperson, which comes after Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Daily Wire previously reported:
The refugee assistance expects to include many of the 5,500 troops who arrived in Poland earlier this month. Tens of thousands of refugees are expected, including some Americans, to seek escape from Ukraine.
“American officials have estimated that a nationwide attack on Ukraine could result in one million to five million refugees, with many of them going to Poland,” The New York Times reported.
American troops “have been working with Polish forces to set up three processing centers near the border to help deal with tens of thousands of people,” the report added.
The Biden administration has stated American forces will not enter Ukraine, but have offered assistance in Poland to help those in need.