RUSSIA TAKES "DESTRUCTIVE STEPS" AFTER THE US SENDS 3,000 TROOPS TO EASTERN EUROPE.

Russia described the US deployments as "destructive acts" that raise military tensions and limit political options.

Washington: On Wednesday, the US deployed tens of thousands of troops to eastern Europe to strengthen NATO forces, while French and German leaders announced travels to Moscow to allay Western fears of a Ukrainian invasion.

Due to Russia's refusal to withdraw 100,000 troops stationed on Ukraine's borders, 1,000 US soldiers stationed in Germany are being flown to Germany and Poland, while another 2,000 stationed in the US are being flown to Germany and Poland.

"We're going to make sure we reassure our NATO allies in eastern Europe that we're there as long as (President Vladimir Putin) is acting forcefully," President Joe Biden said after the deployments were announced.

In reaction, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said the deployments would make it more difficult for the two countries to reach an agreement, calling them "destructive acts that heighten military tension and decrease capacity for political choice."

Despite Moscow's denials, Western powers have been engaged in intensive diplomatic efforts, as well as the prospect of sanctions against Putin's closest circle, to dissuade what they think is an imminent invasion of ex-Soviet Ukraine.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany declared on Wednesday that he will soon fly to Moscow to discuss the problem, while President Emmanuel Macron of France hinted that a similar trip could be planned, depending on subsequent talks with other world leaders.

 

In a phone chat on Wednesday, Biden and Macron promised to coordinate their responses to the crisis, and the French president's office said he would speak with Putin again on Thursday evening.

There are no US troops in Ukraine.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby insisted that the US force rotations were intended to show the alliance's commitment, and that no American soldiers would be ordered to fight in Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

Putin, on the other hand, has accused the US and NATO of attempting to "contain" Russia by stationing soldiers and strategic weapons on its border.

"Ukraine is only an instrument to achieve this goal," Putin declared in his first substantial remarks on the issue in weeks on Tuesday.

Putin has demanded guarantees that Ukraine will not join NATO and has implied that the large military buildup is a threat to the former Soviet state.

Russia also wants NATO and the US to refrain from stationing missile systems near its borders and to withdraw NATO forces from eastern Europe.

Putin has said that he is considering Western ideas put up last month in response to Russia's demands and that he hopes that "in the end we will find a solution."

However, in a phone discussion with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday, Putin expressed alarm over "NATO's failure to effectively respond to well-founded Russian concerns," according to the Kremlin.

The Kremlin also claimed to have China's backing in the dispute, which Putin will demonstrate when he talks with President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday.

Diplomatic efforts are made

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte was the most recent NATO leader to visit Kyiv on Wednesday, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a show of support.

Following the negotiations, Zelensky stated that Ukraine is focused "only on peace," but that it has the right to self-defense.

The continuation of talks between Russia and the other players, according to Rutte, is "vital."

According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, which cited leaked papers, the Western suggestions to Russia, which were laid out in letters by NATO and the US last month, include armaments control and trust-building steps to calm the situation.

While there was no guarantee that Ukraine would not join NATO, the documents sought promises from the US and Russia to "refrain from installing offensive ground-launched missile systems and permanent forces with a war purpose on Ukraine's territory," according to El Pais.

Kirby stated, "We didn't make this paper public," without questioning its legitimacy.

"NATO and its partners are united in their commitment and open to constructive and serious diplomacy," he said.

Is an invasion 'imminent'?

The White House announced on Wednesday that it would no longer use the term "imminent" to describe a Russian invasion of Ukraine, arguing that the term meant Putin had already decided to attack.

Ukraine reacted angrily to Press Secretary Jen Psaki's use of the phrase last week.

Putin putting soldiers in a position where they "may invade at any time," Psaki claimed.

Plans for joint military exercises between Russia and Belarus, where Washington thinks Moscow is prepared to send 30,000 troops, have exacerbated tensions with the West.

As soldiers from both countries prepared ahead of the February 10-20 drills, video footage published by the Russian military ministry showed tanks rushing over icy fields in Belarus and combat helicopters soaring overhead.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance "would do whatever is required to secure and defend our allies" in response to the fresh US force deployment.