U.S. to send 300 soldiers to Germany, another 1,000 head from there to Romania

President Joe Biden has approved the deployment of nearly 3,000 American troops to eastern Europe in the coming days amid a standoff with Russia over Ukraine in what the Pentagon said on Wednesday (February 2) was a signal of U.S. readiness to defend NATO allies.

A source familiar with the details said 1,700 would deploy from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Poland and another 300 from the base to Germany.

About 1,000 Germany-based troops would to head to Romania, the source said.

The United States has several military bases in Germany, among them the U.S. Air Force base in Ramstein and the Grafenwoehr training area in the south of the country.

Russia, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backs pro-Russian rebels fighting government forces in eastern Ukraine, is demanding sweeping security guarantees including a promise that NATO never admit Ukraine.

The United States has dismissed such calls, saying it would be up to Ukraine and to NATO whether Kyiv ever joins the alliance.

The Pentagon renewed warnings about Russia’s buildup but held out hope that Putin would opt for a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

The Pentagon said it was not ruling out additional deployments beyond those announced on Wednesday.

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