The US deployed troops to Eastern Europe

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 03 Feb 2022 by Alex Teddy

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On February 1 Biden sent 3,000 troops to Romania, Germany and Poland. The US said this is in response to 100,000 Russian troops being on exercises near Ukraine and more Russian troops dispatched to Belarus. There will be major exercises in Belarus on February 10-20, but this is not unusual. The US has offered to withdraw its troops if Russia does likewise. Some pundits say the Russian buildup is much exaggerated, and the US has provided little evidence of it. Some of the troops supposedly "on the border of Ukraine" are hundreds of kilometers inside Russia.The Winter Olympics are about to begin. This is extremely important for Russia, which tends to do very well at this. Russia has been caught unawares at previous Olympics, such as the Beijing 2008 Olympics and 2014 Sochi Olympics. Some US politicians such as Adam Schiff said that the buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine should lead to more NATO troops on Russia's border. To US hawks, Biden's response seems feeble.There have been Russian naval exercises off Ireland and in other seas. This is in international waters but the EU and NATO still disliked it. The purpose of the US deployment is deterrence, said Washington DC. The US also underscores its commitment to NATO which some European countries were worried about. Moscow has said this move makes it less likely that compromise can be reached.The US reiterated that it shall not fight for Ukraine. Putin complained that NATO is striving to contain Russia. He called for NATO to vow not to deploy missile systems near Russia.In a call with the UK Prime Minister on February 2 Putin said that NATO is unwilling to respond to Russian anxieties. The British and Dutch Prime Minis...