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The White House on Friday insisted the US military would not be stationed in Ukraine amid Russia’s multi-front war against the country after President Biden’s comments to troops in Poland suggested otherwise.
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Biden, visiting US soldiers in Poland, spoke about how the average Ukrainian citizen is “moving up”.
“You’ll see when you’re there — some of you have been there — you’ll see women, young people, standing in the middle in front of a damn tank and saying, ‘Am I not deserted.'”
President Biden addresses members of the 82nd Airborne Division on Friday, March 25, 2022 at the G2A Arena in Jasionka, Poland. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Even before the Russian invasion and during his war against Ukraine, Biden maintained that US troops would not intervene in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
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When asked on Friday about the possibility of US troops getting involved, the White House insisted its stance remained the same.
“The President has made it clear that we are not sending US troops to Ukraine and that position will not change,” a White House spokesman told Fox News on Friday.
As of March 17, 100,000 US troops were in Europe to bolster NATO defenses, up from 80,000 in January.
Biden was in Brussels, Belgium this week for an emergency NATO meeting to discuss the international response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Earlier this week, a senior US defense official said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was still considering the possibility of deploying additional American troops to NATO’s eastern flank in Europe as the war in Ukraine rages on.
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The Biden administration has warned that moves like imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine could be seen as escalating and “could trigger a war with Russia.” Instead, the President approved nearly $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so it is not subject to the NATO alliance’s Article V provision, which states that if a member country is attacked, all member countries will take action to assist.
The new support package includes 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems, 2,000 spears, 1,000 light anti-tank weapons, 6,000 AT-4 anti-tank systems, 100 unmanned drones, 100 grenade launchers, 5,000 rifles, 1,000 pistols, 400 machine guns, 400 shotguns, more than 20 million small arms firearms and grenade launcher ammunition – and mortar shells, 25,000 sets of body armor and 25,000 helmets.
The equipment will be handed over directly from the Defense Ministry to the Ukrainian military, Biden said.