Currents News Staff
More than 127,000 Russian troops have amassed at the border waiting on word from Russian President Vladimir Putin. But war began here nearly eight years ago when Russia annexed Crimea, which has a major port on the Black Sea.
Russian-backed Separatists also took control of the Donbas region, an ongoing conflict that’s claimed some 13,000 lives. But with Russian troops at the border, fear is that this war will escalate.
As many as 85,000 U.S. troops have been put on heightened alert for a possible deployment to Eastern Europe, the Pentagon said Monday.
“They’ll come from bases around the United States and they’ll be,” said Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby. “If they’re deployed, they’ll be part of the NATO response force.”
U.S. officials say there’s still room for diplomacy.
“We obviously want to see that succeed,” added Kirby. “But we’ve also seen Vladimir Putin add to his force capability. So he has shown no signs of de-escalating. Quite the contrary. I think it’s something we’re all watching with great concern.”
The secretary added cause for concern and uncertainty.
“Nobody knows what’s in his head right now,” said Kibry. “We don’t believe that he has actually made a decision for another invasion but he is increasing his options. We want to make sure that he fully understands the consequences should he incur again. Nobody wants to see another war. Nobody wants to see another conflict. But if our NATO allies need support, we want to make sure they know we’re there for them.”