USA troops received orders to be on high alert in any case that the situation in Ukraine deteriorates. About 8,500 troops were advised to be prepared for deployment. This is in response to the amassing of Russian troops along the border.
Pentagon spokesperson announced “The United States has taken steps to heighten the readiness of its forces at home and abroad, so they are prepared to respond to a range of contingencies, including support to the NATO response force if it is activated.” The current NATO response is composed of 40,000 multi-national troops. They also added that “in the event of NATO’s activation of the NRF or a deteriorating security environment, the United States would be in a position to rapidly deploy additional brigade combat teams, logistics, medical, aviation, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, transportation and additional capabilities into Europe,”
A meeting was held by the US, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union leaders. After the meeting, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced, “We agree that any further aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have severe costs.”
UK and US continue to reduce staff from their respective embassies in Kyiv. This is a precaution in case Russia plans to invade the country. Both sides are currently on a stand-off. They are both waiting for the first one to move. It is noted that this has been the closest the EU and USA have been to war with Russia in decades.
Stay tuned for updates on USA troops’ status in Ukraine.