General Milli also visited a training ground near Nowa Deb in southern Poland, where paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division trained with Polish forces. The coordination is part of Mr. Biden’s effort to reassure Eastern European allies – and reassure Russian President Vladimir Putin – that while NATO is not sending troops to Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance, it will fight any invasion. in the territory of a NATO member.
Officials were adamant that NATO stood up to Mr. Putin. “NATO is more united than I have ever seen a unified NATO,” Gen. Christopher J. Cavoli, commander of the US Army in Europe and Africa, told reporters at the training center. “I have been working since I was a second lieutenant in 1988, and I can tell you that I have never seen the determination and practical expression of combat readiness that I see in the alliance ground forces right now. This is amazing”.
Shortly after meeting with troops at Nova Deba, General Milli flew by helicopter to Rzeszow, Poland, to the headquarters of the 82nd Airborne Division in the country, which he said was deployed to “deter any further territorial aggression from Russia” .
Major General Chris Donahue, who led the US evacuation from Afghanistan after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August and is the commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, said the Polish headquarters could temporarily house about 2,500 evacuees from Ukraine. The site, which is located in the arena, is intended to be used as a springboard for evacuated citizens of the United States and other NATO countries. Bunk beds filled the room, most of them empty.
Officials said that although Ukrainian refugees crossed the border, the number of Americans evacuated was small. Most of the American citizens who left Ukraine traveled by air or crossed the border into other parts of Ukraine, officials said.
In the arena’s operations center, Polish border guards, US intelligence officers, paratroopers and State Department personnel crowded over maps of Ukraine.
“They have acted sensibly in inviting all US government agencies and international partners working on solutions for Ukraine,” said Colonel Dave Butler, a spokesman for General Milley.