U.S. and Allies Seek United Front

Photo Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin

By Audrey Hall
Managing Editor

Tensions are quickly rising as Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the deployment of 100,000 Russian troops to the edge of Ukraine. Shortly prior to the troop movements, the UK Foreign Office publicly announced that the Kremlin was planning to install a pro-Russian government in Kyiv, and went so far as to name former Ukrainian MP Yevhen Murayev as a potential candidate. Putin has denied these claims and regarded them as “disinformation.”  

President Biden has committed to providing reinforcements to NATO, with the Department of Defense placing 8,500 American troops on high alert for a speedy deployment to Eastern Europe. Biden has clarified on numerous occasions that “forces on high alert are part of a NATO operation, not a sole U.S. operation,” emphasizing that this commitment came at the request of NATO.  The purpose of NATO is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. Although NATO has not yet activated troops, several European allied nations have begun preparing ships, fighter jets, and other military assets to deploy to the region. U.S. intelligence officials have said that Putin has likely not made a decision about whether to invade Ukraine or not, but rather is gauging the response from NATO and Europe. In the coming days, the international community will be watching closely to see how Russia chooses to proceed.