US President Joe Biden approved the deployment of additional forces in eastern Europe, US media reported on Wednesday. Under the plan, the US will reportedly send about 2,000 American troops to Poland and Germany, while 1,000 troops would move from Germany to Romania. The troops in Poland will be put on high-readiness, according to TheTeCHyWorLD correspondent Teri Schultz. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stressed they would not be fighting in Ukraine. “They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions,” he said. The announcement came after leaked documents revealed the United States told Russia said it was willing to discuss a deal on missile deployments.
Possible missile reductions in Europe
Spanish daily El Pais published two documents from NATO and the US that were responses to Russian security demands in Europe. “The United States is willing to discuss conditions-based reciprocal transparency measures and 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,” the US document read. The US said it would be willing to discuss “a transparency mechanism to confirm the absences of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland.” That offer is conditional on a Russian offer of “reciprocal transparency measures on two ground-launched missiles bases of our choosing in Russia.” US Aegis Ashore systems are meant for defending against short- or intermediate-range missiles. Russia claims that these systems could be armed with Tomahawk intermediate-range missiles and used to attack Russia. The document says it would have to consult closely with NATO allies, particularly Romania and Poland. The documents contain no mention of Ukraine’s hopes of joining NATO — the key issue that has riled Moscow. In the NATO document, 30 allies said they “reaffirm our commitment to NATO’s Open Door policy.” Neither the US State Department nor NATO commented on the documents. Sources confirmed to TheTeCHyWorLD that the leaked NATO document was indeed the alliance’s response to Moscow. Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops on the border with Ukraine along with heavy equipment and supplies, prompting fears of an imminent invasion. Russia has denied it intends to invade Ukraine but issued various demands against what sees as NATO threats.
Russia seeks Chinese support
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his first public remarks on the standoff in more than a month, accused the US and its allies of ignoring their main demands, but said that Moscow was open to talks to ease tensions. Meanwhile, the Kremlin announced that China would back Moscow over its security concerns when Putin attends the opening of the Winter Olympics this week. The Kremlin’s top foreign policy adviser said Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held a common position on global security. “A joint statement on international relations entering a new era has been prepared for the talks,” Yury Ushakov told reporters. He said it would reflect Moscow and Beijing’s “common views” on security among other issues. aw/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)