In the midst of a crisis with Moscow, Washington will deploy 3,000 additional soldiers in Eastern Europe

Washington announced on Wednesday February 2 the dispatch of 3,000 additional American soldiers to Eastern Europe to defend the NATO countries. “against all aggression”. The Pentagon has confirmed that it will redeploy 1,000 soldiers stationed in Germany to Romania, while 2,000 others will leave the United States for Eastern Europe, mainly Poland. This announcement comes in a context of escalating tensions with Russia, accused by the Europeans of having massed 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.

These 3,000 American soldiers are in addition to the 8,500 placed on alert at the end of January by Washington, to be deployed in NATO’s rapid reaction force if necessary. “These movements are an unambiguous message that we send to the world to show that we are ready to reassure our NATO allies and determined to defend them against any aggression”said the spokesman for the US Department of Defense.

However, it is only a question of strengthening the “eastern flank” of the Atlantic Alliance. “These forces are not going to fight in Ukraine”which is not a member of NATO, assured the Pentagon, stressing that it was a temporary redeployment. “We don’t think conflict is inevitable,” insisted the spokesperson, stressing that American diplomacy had “offered Russia a path to de-escalation”.