It came as the US Defence Department announced on Wednesday the extra US forces will deploy to Poland, Germany and Romania in the next several days…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden on Wednesday (local time) spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders.
“The two leaders affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reviewed our ongoing coordination on both diplomacy and preparations to impose swift and severe economic costs on Russia should it further invade Ukraine,” said the White House in a press release.
“President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO Allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues,” the release added.
It came as the US Defence Department announced on Wednesday the extra US forces will deploy to Poland, Germany and Romania in the next several days.
The Defence Department is sending 2,000 US troops to Europe in the next several days in response to the Ukraine crisis, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday.
Most of the 2,000 troops will be deployed in Poland and the deployment will be temporal, he said.
President Biden has said that his decision to deploy several thousand more troops to Europe over the Ukraine crisis is “totally consistent” with that he has told Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“As long as he’s acting aggressively, we are going to make sure we reassure our NATO allies in Eastern Europe that we’re there and Article 5 is a sacred obligation,” Biden said.
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (local time) warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against the invasion of Ukraine and said it would be a “tragic miscalculation.”
Johnson issued the warning during a phone call with Putin. He told the Russian President that he is deeply concerned about the 100,000 soldiers massed at Ukraine’s border, reported NHK World.
British officials released a statement saying the leaders agreed that aggravation was in no one’s interest.
Johnson also stressed that Ukraine had every right to apply to join the “defensive alliance” of NATO if it wished and that Kyiv should be included in any talks over the standoff with Russia.
He visited Kyiv on Tuesday, warning after talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russian forces massed on the border represented a “clear and present danger” to Ukraine, reported Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Russian officials released their own statement, saying NATO’s response to their concerns has been inadequate.
Putin has been calling for NATO troops to withdraw from eastern Europe and wants guarantees that Ukraine will never be allowed to join the bloc, reported NHK World.
Putin said members of the alliance are hiding behind their open-door policy. He said that contradicts their own commitments to shared security. (ANI)
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