Biden deploying thousands of troops to Eastern Europe amid tensions with Russia over Ukraine

• The US is deploying troops to Eastern Europe amid tensions with Russia over Ukraine, the Pentagon said.
• The troops aren't being deployed to Ukraine, which isn't a NATO member.

President Joe Biden has officially approved new military deployments to Eastern Europe amid concerns that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary, told reporters that 2,000 US troops from Fort Bragg were being deployed to Germany and Poland, while 1,000 were being moved from Germany to Romania. These movements are occurring separately from the 8,500 US troops recently placed on high alert for a potential deployment to Eastern Europe.

The US troop deployments to Eastern Europe are meant to serve as a deterrent against further Russian aggression and to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Washington has NATO's back.

"These are not permanent moves. They are moves designed to respond to the current security environment. Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine," Kirby said on Wednesday.

Kirby said it was important that the US sent a "strong signal" to Putin and "the world that NATO matters to the US."

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Biden announced last week that the US would be "moving troops to Eastern Europe in the NATO countries in the near term."

"Not too many," the president added on Friday.

Given that Ukraine is not a NATO member, the Biden administration has ruled out deploying troops to defend it against Russia in the event of an invasion. NATO operates under the principle of collective defense, considering an attack on one member an attack on all. Ukraine has sought to join NATO for years, and it maintains a strong partnership with the Western military alliance. The US has also provided Ukraine with billions in security assistance, including about $650 million in the past year. Other NATO members have provided similar support to Kyiv, including lethal aid.

Though Biden was clear that US troops wouldn't move to defend Ukraine, he threatened Moscow with harsh sanctions that would batter the Russian economy and target top officials if Russia attacked Ukraine.

Kyiv's NATO ambitions, and the alliance's presence in Eastern Europe more generally, are at the heart of the tensions between Moscow and the West. Putin has accused the alliance of not respecting his red lines in the region, blaming NATO for the crisis despite his history of aggression toward Ukraine.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, annexing Crimea in the process. Russia has also supported rebels in a war against Ukraine since 2014 that's killed over 13,000 people.

At the moment, Russia has about 100,000 troops gathered on Ukraine's border. Moscow said it had no plans to invade, but the Biden administration warned that a Russian military incursion could be imminent.

Amid diplomatic efforts to stave off a broader confrontation, the Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine and Georgia be barred from ever joining NATO. The US and the alliance, which recently delivered written responses to Moscow's demands, have remained firm that the alliance's open-door policy is not up for discussion.

Putin on Tuesday accused the West of ignoring Russia's primary security concerns, but he seemingly left the door open for continued diplomatic talks. "I hope that we will eventually find a solution, although we realize that it's not going to be easy," Putin said, The Associated Press reported.