Biden meets with Europeans about Ukraine as US puts 8,500 troops on 'heightened alert' to be sent to region
ABC News
President Joe Biden held a video call with European allies on Monday as Western nations warned the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remained high.
President Joe Biden held a video call with European allies on Monday as Western nations warned the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remained high and the United States put thousands of troops on alert to be sent to the region, if needed.
The call was with the leaders of the European Commission, European Council, NATO, France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the United Kingdom, according to the White House, which said they planned to "discuss diplomacy, deterrence and defense efforts" as well as what would constitute potential sanctions against Russia. It lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes, the White House said.
At the same time, the Pentagon announced Monday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had placed around 8,500 U.S.-based troops on "heightened alert" for rapid deployment to assist NATO, if needed.
No decision to deploy them had been made, though, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who noted that the U.S. could also offer troops already stationed in Europe.
