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Biden orders troops to countries bordering Russia — Analysis

To strengthen NATO defenses, the US has moved its forces to Baltic States from Europe.

President Joe Biden announced plans to shift some of the US military’s European forces into Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, reinforcing NATO’s northeastern flank after Russia formally recognized the sovereignty of the breakaway Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Biden announced the military maneuvering on Tuesday, as he gave a scathing speech accusing Russia of trying to gobble up its neighbor’s territory and announced new sanctions. According to reports, 800 troops will move to the Baltic from Italy while eight F-35 aircraft will go to Eastern Europe via Germany. A total of 32 Apache helicopters, which will also be transported to Poland by Germany and Greece from Germany, are being used.

The moves come a day after President Vladimir Putin announced Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics as sovereign nations and suggested troops could be sent on a peacekeeping mission in the breakaway territories. Russian lawmakers on Tuesday granted Putin’s request for permission to potentially deploy forces abroad.

“He’s setting up a rationale to take more territory by force, in my view,”Biden spoke to reporters at the White House. “And if we listen to his speech last night – and many of you did, I know – he’s setting up a rationale to go much further.”

Russian parliament grants Putin right to deploy military abroad

Biden, who also announced economic sanctions against Moscow, called Putin’s moves in the Donbass “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.”He said that the US had been a great country. “no intention of fighting Russia,”He stressed that America and its allies were the most important. “will defend every inch of NATO territory.”

The statement was consistent with previous assertions that US forces would not be deployed to fight Russians in Ukraine, which isn’t a NATO member, but the president said additional sanctions will be imposed if the situation escalates.

“Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries on territory that belonged to his neighbors?” Biden asked. “This is a flagrant violation of international law and demands a firm response from the international community.”

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