(CNN) — The United States and some of its allies are in talks to deploy thousands of additional troops to NATO countries in Eastern Europe, ahead of any possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a show of support for Moscow’s ongoing aggression, they said. three US officials familiar with the discussions told CNN.
Among the countries considering accepting the deployments are Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary, the three officials said. The deployments total about 1,000 soldiers for each of these three countries, two defense officials said. And they added that they would be similar to the advanced battle groups currently located in the Baltic States and Poland.
The United States and Britain are among the nations considering these new pre-invasion deployments, but not all NATO members — 30 in all — are willing to do so, according to a European diplomat.
NATO allies have not fully agreed on the seriousness of the threat. And Germany, for example, has refused to sell new weapons to Ukraine. Therefore, the United States is in talks to send additional forces bilaterally. Or, as one official described it, as a “coalition of the willing.”
The goal in the face of tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border
Broadly speaking, the US military objective would be to “meet the capability” requested by NATO allies in the region, another defense official said last week. US forces could operate, as they already do, unilaterally in Europe. But they could also function under existing NATO command structures.
The prospect of deploying some forces closer to Russia’s doorstep ahead of an invasion represents a change in strategy in the Biden administration, which had previously been wary of further provoking Moscow. The Kremlin could use this move as a weapon to its advantage and make an example of the kind of aggressive stance NATO has, an argument Russia has used to justify its buildup of forces along Ukraine’s borders.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Monday that the United States has 8,500 troops on high alert in case a NATO Response Force is called in and US troops are needed quickly. However, the vast majority of these forces are assigned to activities supported by the entire NATO alliance. The US and NATO have tens of thousands of other troops already in Europe to call on for any further deployments to Eastern European allies.
Kirby told CNN on Tuesday that some troops are also on high alert “only for America’s own purposes, in case we need to continue to bilaterally reassure some of our NATO allies in Europe.” And President Joe Biden also said Tuesday that he “might move some of those troops in the short term, just because it takes time” and because America’s allies in Eastern Europe have “reason for concern.”
“Still Imminent”
President Biden originally planned to comment to the public on the situation with Russia this week, two sources said. But now it’s unclear if he will, as the White House continues to try to engage diplomatically with Russia.
The military planning occurs while the US is increasingly concerned that Russia could launch a new invasion of Ukraine at any time and at short notice.
“When we said it was imminent, it’s still imminent,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing on Tuesday. “But again, we cannot make a prediction what decision President Putin will make. We are still engaged in diplomatic discussions and negotiations.”
Ukrainian officials rejected Psaki’s language on Tuesday, calling the situation with Russia “dangerous” but not “imminent.”
A source close to Ukraine’s leadership said on Tuesday that defense and intelligence chiefs are analyzing satellite images of Russian forces “from the United States and other Western agencies” every hour. But they still don’t see Russia “going into combat mode or positioning itself for attack.”
If any Russian order to attack is given, the source added, Ukraine believes that Russian forces near the border will take one to two weeks to be ready.
“If they enter it will not be easy”
In their written responses Given Russia’s security demands, which US officials could present to the Kremlin on Wednesday, the US is unlikely to allow any room for negotiation on NATO’s open-door policy, which is the president’s main grievance. Vladimir Putin. For that reason, there is some concern within the government that Moscow will use the US response as a pretext to say the diplomacy failed.
Along the same lines, Kristina Kvien, senior US diplomat in Ukraine, warned: “We are trying to make it very clear to Russia that if they come in, it will not be easy.” The 300 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 800 bunker-buster bombs and hundreds of thousands of munitions that the United States delivered to Ukraine on Wednesday “can be deployed immediately. They can be deployed at the border,” he added in conversation with CNN’s Sam Kiley. And then he insisted: “I have been here for more than two and a half years. I can tell you that the Ukrainians will fight. They are patriots, they will stand up and fight.”