Ukraine conflict: Heavy fighting in Donbass - USA sends additional troops

Created: 2022-02-23Updated: 2022-02-23, 09:55

By: Stefan Krieger

Kremlin boss Putin sees a peace mission in sending troops to eastern Ukraine.

The US responded by sending additional troops to NATO's eastern flank.

The news ticker.

• The conflict between Russia* and Ukraine* is escalating.

• Vladimir Putin* recognizes the independence of the separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.

• US President Joe Biden* acts and moves troops to the eastern NATO member states*.

>>> Update news ticker <<<

Kiev/Washington DC - US President Joe Biden ordered additional US troops to NATO's eastern flank on Tuesday (February 22, 2022), as reported by the US news portal The Hill.

"As Russia considers its next move, we too have prepared our next move," Biden told reporters at the White House.

"Today, in response to Russia's acknowledgment that it will not withdraw its troops from Belarus, I authorized additional deployments of US troops and equipment already deployed in Europe to bolster our Baltic allies, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania."

Ukraine conflict: US repositions armed forces

Washington has already deployed or repositioned some 6,000 US forces in Germany, Poland and Romania near the Ukrainian border, while Russia has massed an estimated 190,000 troops near its borders with the former Soviet Union and in Belarus.

AH-64 Apache helicopters are to be relocated from Germany to the Baltic States.

(Archive image) © Darko Bandic/dpa

Belarus said on Monday that the withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory, stationed there under the guise of joint war games between the two countries, would largely depend on NATO withdrawing its troops.

Ukraine conflict: Biden speaks of "completely defensive steps"

"In my opinion, he is laying a foundation for taking more territory by force," Biden said of Vladimir Putin in an East Room speech.

"This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine".

The US president didn't mention in his speech how many troops would be sent to the three Baltic states or where they would be deployed from, but he said these were "completely defensive moves on our part" and that the United States "didn't have the intention to fight Russia”.

"We want to send an unequivocal message that the United States, together with our allies, will defend every inch of NATO territory and honor the commitments we have made to NATO," Trump said.

Biden further added that Washington will continue to provide defense assistance to Ukraine.

A senior Defense Ministry official said on Tuesday that the additional forces will consist of air and ground forces deployed to NATO's northeast and southeast flanks in the coming days and are expected to be in place later this week, according to The Hill .

Ukraine conflict: War equipment stationed in Germany also relocated

The armed forces include an infantry battalion of around 800 men, which will be transferred from Italy to the Baltic States, up to eight F-35 fighter jets, which will be transferred from Germany to "several locations along NATO's eastern flank", a battalion of 20 AH-64 Apache helicopters being deployed from Germany to the Baltics and 12 Apache helicopters being deployed from Greece to Poland.

The additional personnel will be temporarily moved "to reassure our NATO allies, deter potential aggression against NATO member states and train with host country forces," the sources told The Hill.

(Stefan Krieger)