Biden confirms that he will send troops to Eastern Europe 0:52
Washington (CNN)
US President Joe Biden formally approved sending additional troops to Eastern Europe on Tuesday, and the Pentagon is expected to announce on Wednesday morning that the troops will be deployed "in the next few days." US officials told CNN.
The deployments are a show of support for NATO allies who feel threatened by Russia's military moves near Ukraine, the officials said.
The Pentagon is expected to announce on Wednesday morning that thousands of additional US troops will be deployed to forward locations in Europe.
The deployments will include roughly 2,000 US troops in Poland and a few thousand more in southeastern NATO countries, including Romania, the sources said.
The US has put 8,500 troops on high alert in case a NATO Response Force is called in and US troops are needed quickly.
But the US and NATO already have tens of thousands of other troops in Europe to call on for any further deployments to Eastern European allies.
Now, some of the troops to be deployed soon are already stationed in Europe, the sources said, while others will come from those already on standby in the US.
The troops will operate bilaterally with their host countries, as NATO has not yet activated a multinational response force.
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CNN reported last week that the US and a handful of allies held talks to deploy thousands more troops to Eastern European NATO countries ahead of any possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, as a show of support in the face of aggression. in progress from Moscow.
Biden also said last Friday that he would move forces "in the short term" as Russia continues to build forces near Ukraine.
Raising fears of a new invasion even as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions continue.
Eastern EuropeUkraine