Russia-Ukraine: US sending 3,000 more troops to NATO's eastern flank, officials say: LIVE UPDATES
Three thousand U.S. troops are set to be deployed to NATO's eastern flank as the standoff between Russia and Ukraine continues, a U.S. senior defense official tells Fox News.
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The State Department on Wednesday validated the authenticity of documents leaked to the press that revealed Washington’s response to Russian demands in exchange for de-escalating tensions with Ukraine.
"I have seen nothing to suggest these documents are not authentic," State Department press secretary Ned Price told reporters. "We did not make these documents public but now that they are we can confirm what we’ve always said – we are untied with our NATO allies in our resolve to engage in an open, constructive, serious set of diplomatic engagements."
White House press secretary Jen Psaki took a swipe at Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley on Wednesday, suggesting the lawmaker is consuming "Russian disinformation" and "parroting" talking points.
Psaki's swipe at Hawley came after the senator called on the Biden administration to suspend its support for Ukraine to become a member of NATO and focus instead on blocking Chinese ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Well, if you are just digesting Russian misinformation and parroting Russian talking points, you are not aligned with a long-standing bipartisan American values, which is to stand up for the sovereignty of countries like Ukraine," Psaki retorted.
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Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., called on the Biden administration to suspend its support for Ukraine to become a member of NATO and focus instead on blocking Chinese ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region.
Fox News Digital obtained a letter by Hawley addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and copied to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in which the senator asks for "clarity about the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine’s prospective membership in NATO."
The senator urged the U.S. needs to focus its attention on China and its actions in the Indo-Pacific region, where Beijing aims to "propel its rise" through domination of the region’s resources.
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The Spanish newspaper El Pais published two documents Thursday that Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby confirmed were written replies from the U.S. and NATO last week to Russia’s proposals for a new security arrangement in Europe.
The U.S. document, marked as a confidential “non-paper,” said the U.S. would be willing to discuss in consultation with its NATO partners “a transparency mechanism to confirm the absences of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Aegis Ashore sites in Romania and Poland, provided Russia offers reciprocal transparency measures on two ground-launched missiles bases of our choosing in Russia.”
Aegis Ashore is a system for defending against short- or intermediate-range missiles. Russia argues the site in Romania could be easily adapted to fire cruise missiles instead of interceptors, which ram their target and do not carry warheads, a claim that Washington has denied.
Putin again mentioned the possibility Tuesday, saying that “there are MK-41 launchers there that could be configured for firing Tomahawks.” He said they “are offensive systems that could reach thousands of kilometers into our territory. Isn’t that a threat to us?”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Russian and Belarus troops held joint combat training at firing ranges in Belarus Wednesday as tensions remain high under the looming threat of war with Ukraine. (AP/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)
In this photo taken from video and released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday Russian and Belarusian tanks drive during joint military drills at Brestsky firing range, in Belarus.
National security correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports the latest on how the Pentagon is planning to respond to a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, when asked by Fox News' Jennifer Griffin if the U.S. has any evidence that Russia would move beyond Ukraine's borders in the event of an invasion, said the deployment of additional U.S. troops to eastern Europe is happening because "it's important that we send a strong signal to Mr. Putin and frankly, to the world that NATO matters to the United States, it matters to our allies."
Kirby added that "what we see... is clear evidence every day that [Putin] continues to destabilize the environment by adding more forces into the western part of his country and along Belarus in addition to naval activity in the Mediterranean in the North Atlantic."
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters Wednesday that the current situation around Ukraine “demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on NATO’s eastern flank.”
“To be prepared for a range of contingencies, the United States will soon move additional forces to Romania, Poland and Germany,” he said.
Kirby announced that 1,000 American troops will be repositioned from Germany to Romania, while another 2,000 are set to be deployed to Europe from the U.S. in the coming days.
"The 82nd Airborne Division is deploying components of an Infantry Brigade combat team and key enablers to Poland and the 18th Airborne Corps is moving a joint task force capable headquarters to Germany," he said. "Both of them, as you know, are based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina."
These troops are separate from the 8,500 currently based in the U.S. who were placed last week “on a heightened preparedness to deploy” if needed, Kirby added.
Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby is holding a briefing following the announcement that thousands of additional U.S. troops are heading to Europe.
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Three thousand U.S. troops are set to be deployed to NATO's eastern flank, a U.S. senior defense official tells Fox News.
"At the President’s direction and following Secretary Austin’s recommendation, the Department of Defense will reposition certain Europe-based units further east, forward deploy additional U.S.-based units to Europe, and maintain the heightened state of readiness of response forces to meet these commitments," added a senior Biden administration official.
"These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are not permanent moves. They respond to current conditions," that official added.
Fox News' Peter Doocy and Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
Troops and vehicles are seen gathered at Bakhchysarai, Crimea, on Tuesday. (AP/Maxar Technologies)
Newly-released satellite images are revealing the scope of Russia’s massive military buildup in Crimea and along the Ukrainian border.
The photos, captured by Maxar Technologies, appear to show tanks, missiles and troops in positions close to Ukrainian territory or within Russian-annexed Crimea. More than 125,000 Russian forces overall are believed to be in those areas.
"Troop tents and shelters for personnel have been seen at virtually every deployment location in Belarus, Crimea and western Russia, which suggests that the units are now accompanied by troops and have increased their overall readiness level," a spokesperson for the company told Sky News.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy takes part in a joint press conference with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday. (Peter Nicholls/Pool Photo via AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Tuesday that a "full-scale war" could break out if Russia invades his country.
"Nobody needs a war. But we do not invite anyone with weapons to our land," Zelenskyy said after meeting with U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. "I can say for sure that the state has changed, society and the army have changed. And now there will be no occupation of any city or territory. And there will be, unfortunately, a tragedy if the escalation against our state begins.
"That is why I openly say: this will not be a war between Ukraine and Russia -- this will be a war in Europe," he continued. "Full-scale war, because no one will give up their territories and people anymore."
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual press conference in Moscow. (Getty)
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday—for the first time in weeks—spoke publicly about tensions on Ukraine’s eastern border and blamed the U.S. of using the issue in an attempt to contain Moscow.
The Kremlin has been blamed by the U.S. and European allies for deploying enough troops to the region to wage an invasion of its smaller neighbor. Ukraine is not a NATO ally, the alliance is not obligated to come to Kyiv’s defense if there is a Russian attack.
U.S. and NATO allies have spoken about supporting Ukraine and hitting Moscow with crippling sanctions, but no country has committed to coming to Kyiv's defense with troops. Putin said Washington has little interest in Ukraine’s security, Reuters reported.
He said the U.S. is fixated on containing Russia and the Ukraine quagmire is just an “instrument to achieve this goal.”
Russia has been critical of NATO’s expansion east and the placement of missile systems in Eastern Europe. The Kremlin has called these issues a security concern of its own and has demanded action.
The Reuters report pointed out that Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, called on the West to respect a 1999 deal that no country can strengthen its own security at the expense of others.
The U.S. and other NATO countries have been supporting the Ukrainians with military equipment and Kyiv's military is considered to be more formidable than in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.
Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted Tuesday that his country has received about "500 tons of defense equipment" from the U.S.
"The day hasn’t passed yet and we’re unloading the 6th bird from our friends from the U.S.! 84 tons of ammunition arrived in Kyiv!" he wrote.
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, responding to the tweet, wrote "we vastly prefer the path of dialogue and diplomacy, but we will continue to provide Ukraine the defensive assistance needed to defend against Russia's massive military force assembled on its borders."
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