Ukrainian troops participate in a military exercise at a training ground near Kiev, Ukraine, on December 18, 2021. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE

Jan. 24 (UPI) — NATO announced on Monday that it’s placing additional military forces on standby and sending ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe to deter and guard against a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine — a standoff that concerns several Western nations, including the United States.

The military alliance said it’s adding forces in the Baltic area as a show of force intended to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from any possible designs he has on crossing the border into Ukraine.

“NATO allies are putting forces on standby and sending additional ships and fighter jets to NATO deployments in eastern Europe, reinforcing allied deterrence and defense as Russia continues its military build-up in and around Ukraine,” NATO said in a statement Monday.

The alliance said that Denmark sent a frigate to the Baltic Sea and is ready to send multiple F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania. It also said that Spain is sending ships and France is prepared to send troops to Romania under NATO command.

The Netherlands is sending F-35 fighter jets to Bulgaria and putting a ship and land-based units on standby.

“The United States has also made clear that it is considering increasing its military presence in the eastern part of the alliance,” NATO added.

President Joe Biden speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin by video phone at the White House on December 7, 2021, to discuss Moscow’s military buildup near its border with Ukraine. Photo courtesy the White House Photo/UPI

The deployment of forces follows rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine — particularly along Ukraine’s eastern border, where about 100,000 Russian troops have been stationed for months, stoking fears that Moscow at some point will invade the former Soviet state. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, worsening a rift between Ukrainian forces and pro-Moscow separatists in the country.

“I welcome allies contributing additional forces,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement. “NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance.

“We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment, including through strengthening our collective defense.”

NATO was formed after World War II as a collective defense coalition and has 30 member states. Although Ukraine is not presently a member of the alliance, NATO recognizes it as an aspiring member country. Putin has said that Russia, which is not part of the alliance, strongly opposes Ukraine joining NATO.

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La OTAN envía más fuerzas a Europa del Este para disuadir a Rusia de invadir Ucrania: 

Tropas ucranianas participan en un ejercicio militar en un campo de entrenamiento cerca de Kiev, Ucrania, el 18 de diciembre de 2021. Foto de archivo de Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE

24 de enero (UPI) – La OTAN anunció el lunes que está colocando fuerzas militares adicionales en espera y enviando barcos y aviones de combate a Europa del Este para disuadir y protegerse contra una posible invasión rusa de Ucrania, un enfrentamiento que preocupa a varias naciones occidentales, incluido Estados Unidos.

La alianza militar dijo que está agregando fuerzas en el área del Báltico como una demostración de fuerza destinada a disuadir al presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, de cualquier posible diseño que tenga para cruzar la frontera con Ucrania.

“Los aliados de la OTAN están poniendo fuerzas en espera y enviando barcos y aviones de combate adicionales a los despliegues de la OTAN en Europa del Este, reforzando la disuasión y la defensa aliadas a medida que Rusia continúa su acumulación militar en Ucrania y sus alrededores”, dijo la OTAN en un comunicado el lunes.

La alianza dijo que Dinamarca envió una fragata al Mar Báltico y está lista para enviar múltiples aviones de combate F-16 a Lituania. También dijo que España está enviando barcos y Francia está preparada para enviar tropas a Rumania bajo el mando de la OTAN.

Los Países Bajos están enviando aviones de combate F-35 a Bulgaria y poniendo un barco y unidades terrestres en espera.

“Estados Unidos también ha dejado claro que está considerando aumentar su presencia militar en la parte oriental de la alianza”, agregó la OTAN.

El presidente Joe Biden habla con el presidente ruso Vladimir Putin por videoteléfono en la Casa Blanca el 7 de diciembre de 2021, para discutir la acumulación militar de Moscú cerca de su frontera con Ucrania. Foto cortesía de la Casa Blanca Photo/UPI

El despliegue de fuerzas sigue a las crecientes tensiones entre Rusia y Ucrania, particularmente a lo largo de la frontera oriental de Ucrania, donde unos 100.000 soldados rusos han estado estacionados durante meses, avivando los temores de que Moscú en algún momento invada el antiguo estado soviético. En 2014, Rusia anexó Crimea de Ucrania, empeorando la brecha entre las fuerzas ucranianas y los separatistas pro-Moscú en el país.

“Doy la bienvenida a los aliados que contribuyen con fuerzas adicionales”, dijo el secretario general de la OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, en un comunicado. “La OTAN continuará tomando todas las medidas necesarias para proteger y defender a todos los aliados, incluso reforzando la parte oriental de la alianza.

“Siempre responderemos a cualquier deterioro de nuestro entorno de seguridad, incluso mediante el fortalecimiento de nuestra defensa colectiva”.

La OTAN se formó después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial como una coalición de defensa colectiva y tiene 30 estados miembros. Aunque Ucrania no es actualmente miembro de la alianza, la OTAN la reconoce como un país aspirante a miembro. Putin ha dicho que Rusia, que no forma parte de la alianza, se opone firmemente a que Ucrania se una a la OTAN.

U.S. delivers ‘lethal’ aid to Ukraine

Large green containers arrived in Ukraine Friday night in U.S. shipment of security assistance, which included “200,000 pounds of lethal aid,” to defend against “growing Russian aggression,” according to the embassy. Photo courtesy of U.S. Embassy Kiev/Twitter

Jan. 22 (UPI) — The U.S. government delivered “lethal” aid to Ukraine as part of the first shipment of security assistance to defend against possible a Russian invasion, the U.S. Embassy in Kiev said.

“This shipment includes close to 200,000 pounds of lethal aid, including ammunition for the front line defenders of Ukraine,” the embassy said on Twitter.

“The shipment — and $2.7 billion USD since 2014 — demonstrates U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine bolster its defenses in the face of growing Russia aggression.”

President Joe Biden “recently directed” the shipment, which arrived in Ukraine on Friday night.

Photos included the embassy’s tweets showed a National Air Cargo plane — labeled “We Deliver the World” — unloading large green containers, but did not indicate what else was included.

On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland, and both agreed to continue talks, but did not reach any other agreement.

Blinken aimed to de-escalate tension near Ukraine’s eastern border, where Russian has amassed some 100,000 troops, according to estimates, and Lavrov sought guarantees that Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO, which Russia says would pose a security threat.

Also, on Friday, Blinken warned that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “met with a severe and a united response.”

Blinken’s warning comes after the Biden administration threatened the Kremlin last week with “massive consequences” if it chooses conflict over diplomacy.

Last week, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Russia has made what it wants known and has been waiting on a response from Washington.

Specifically, Russia wants NATO to stop courting further membership and not deploy offensive strike weapons near Kremlin territory. It also wants the U.S. military to leave NATO member states that joined the alliance after Moscow and NATO signed the Founding Act of 1997 in which both sides agreed to not consider the other as an adversary.

The United States and its NATO allies have rejected Russia’s demand to rollback forces to positions held in 1997, before Central and Eastern nation joined NATO, along with the Kremlin’s demand to prevent Ukraine from ever joining NATO.

Lavrov said Friday that Russia had no plans to attack Ukraine, according .