Strengthening NATO's East Wing, President Biden Sends Hundreds Of Troops, F-35 Fighter Jets And AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters

Illustration of the US Apache AH-64 Helicopter. (Wikimedia Commons/CW2 Cameron Roxberry)

JAKARTA - United States President Joe Biden has again sent hundreds of troops, fighter jets, and attack helicopters to the eastern region of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), to increase security in the region, following the addition of Russian troops in Belarus and new sanctions.

President Biden on Tuesday said he was allowing the redeployment of some US troops already stationed in Europe to increase the security of NATO's Baltic allies, especially given the addition of Russian troops in Belarus.

Earlier, the Prime Ministers of Estonia and the Presidents of Latvia and Lithuania on Friday had made direct requests to Vice President Kamala Harris, for the US to increase its presence in the Baltics.

"This is a completely defensive move on our part and the United States has no intention of deploying its forces in Ukraine which is not a member of NATO," Biden said.

But President Biden also said the US and its allies "will defend every inch of NATO territory and adhere to the commitments we have made to NATO." It is known, the mutual defense pact considers an attack on one member as an attack on all.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden's announcement Tuesday about redistribution of troops in Europe included sending 800 infantry troops to the Baltic region and up to eight F-35 fighter jets to several operations along NATO's eastern flank, said a US official, speaking to Reuters. anonymous terms.

In addition, the United States will also send 32 AH-64 Apache attack helicopters to the Baltic region and to Poland from locations in Europe.

"These additional personnel are being repositioned to reassure our NATO allies, deter potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host nation forces," the senior US defense official said, adding that no new troops were arriving from the United States.

To note, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced new sanctions against Russia's elite and two banks, as the West tries to halt an all-out invasion of Ukraine by punishing Moscow for ordering troops into the two separatist territories it has recognized.

The European Union, Germany, and Britain also announced ways they would hit Russia financially, as they feared further attacks were coming, a move Moscow has consistently resisted for months.