Biden deploys 2,000 troops to Europe

The Pentagon announced it will boost the U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe by sending soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Poland and Germany. The administration is also shifting 1,000 soldiers from Germany to Romania and has placed a separate 8,500 U.S.-based troops on high alert. France is deploying troop reinforcements to Romania. Poland’s defense minister thanked the United States for a strong show of solidarity. Russia called the deployments unfounded and destructive.

What does this mean? Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Wednesday that the troops are meant to “deter aggression” and reassure NATO allies amid heightened tensions with Russia, which has more than 100,000 troops parked on its border with Ukraine. Kirby confirmed that leaked U.S. and NATO documents obtained by Spain’s El País were genuine. The documents reject Russian demands to block Ukraine from NATO membership but offer talks and trust-building measures with Russia regarding cutting back on nuclear weapons.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about arguments between diplomats from Russia and the United States during a recent UN Security Council meeting.