If Russia invades Ukraine, US to send more troops to Eastern Europe
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The White House said it does not know if Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a decision to launch his military forces against Ukraine -- and stopped short of threatening direct intervention of American military force should he do so.
The US administration on Monday declined to rule out sending American troops to Ukraine as new satellite images revealed Russian forces assembling at numerous critical strategic areas along the Ukrainian border in preparation for an invasion.
In a warning to Moscow on the eve of talks between presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin, the US indicated it would impose tough new economic sanctions in reaction to a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to a senior US official, Biden will also make it clear to Putin that the US would not rule out eventual Ukrainian membership in Nato, as the Russian leader has asked.
Also Read: What will happen if Russian troops invade Ukraine?
The images show ground military equipment being deployed as well as personnel buildup in western Russia and Crimea.
Maxar Tech satellite images show Russian troops massed near Ukraine border#russiaukraine pic.twitter.com/a8nxqSSt4y
— ChicagoMike (@ChicagoMyk) December 7, 2021
Just hours after the photos were posted, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if Americans should be prepared for US military on the ground if Russia decided to invade.
"I’m not going to get ahead of the President’s conversations with our transatlantic partners, which is going to happen later this afternoon," Psaki responded, "and we’ll provide you a list of who will be participating in that call as soon as the scheduling details are finalized.
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But I would say that our objective here is to convey diplomatically that this is the moment for Russia to pull back its military buildup at the border, "Psaki added.
The United States and European allies are prepared to take "substantial economic countermeasures ... that would impose significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy" if Russia attacks, the official said.
In addition, Biden will make clear that if Putin "moved in, there would be an increasing request from eastern flank allies and a positive response from the United States for additional forces and capabilities and exercises," they said.
(With inputs from agencies)