President Joe Biden is considering deploying several thousand troops , warships and planes to allied Eastern European and Baltic nations, with greater military involvement in the Ukraine crisis, where Russia is concentrating tens of thousands of troops on the border, reports today The New York Times .
The New York newspaper in its digital edition, which cites sources from the US Administration, points out that what the US president decides this week may mean a significant change in his policy regarding Russia, in which he assures he has maintained containment in the face of fear of a Russian invasion of its neighbor.
The decision to abandon the policy of avoiding confrontation with Moscow, adds the newspaper, is attributable to little progress in diplomatic talks and the increase in intimidating actions by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At Saturday’s meeting at the presidential residence at Camp David, senior Pentagon officials offered military alternatives, including bringing troops closer to Russia, according to the aforementioned sources, who estimated between 1,000 and 5,000 soldiers to be mobilized in Eastern countries. .
That option, specifies the newspaper that indicates that the officials requested anonymity, incorporates the possibility of increasing the number of troops if the situation worsens.
This Sunday, the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, threatened a “swift and severe” response if “a single additional Russian force” enters Ukrainian territory aggressively, after the confusion generated this week by Biden’s words. .
“If a single additional Russian force enters Ukraine aggressively, there will be a swift, severe and united response from the United States and Europe ,” the head of US diplomacy said in an interview with CNN.
Blinken’s words come after Biden himself had to clarify on Thursday that any type of Russian incursion into Ukrainian territory will be considered “an invasion” , after the confusion he had previously generated by insinuating that Washington would qualify the consequences of an occupation. smaller scale.