U.S President Joe Biden
World War III looms, as Biden dares Putin, deploys fighter jets, troops to Eastern Europe
Barely hours after Russian President, Vladimir Putin threatened to unleash mayhem on any country that interferes in its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the United States President, Joe Biden has ordered the movement of up to eight F-35 fighter jets and a slew of other warplanes, including 800 troops, to Eastern Europe, the Baltics and Poland to shore up support for NATO allies in the region.
Russian President, Putin has issued a chilling warning to its allies in the West after declaring war on Ukraine.
Explosions were heard in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, as Putin announced that Russia was launching a military attack on Ukraine.
In an early-morning address in Moscow on Thursday February 24, Putin said: ‘To anyone who would consider interfering from the outside – if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history.’
Putin later told Ukrainian service members to ‘lay down their arms and go home,’ saying Russia could not exist with a ‘constant threat emanating from the territory of Ukraine’ and clashes between Russian and Ukrainian solders was ‘inevitable.’
However, President Biden responded to Putin’s attack Wednesday night, saying: ‘The prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine tonight as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces.’
‘President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable,’ his statement continued.
Biden added that he would be monitoring the situation from the White House the remainder of the night and will be getting regular updates from his security team.
The U.S president plans to meet with his G7 counterparts on Thursday morning, and will speak to the American people to announce the ‘further consequences the United States and our Allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security.’
‘We will also coordinate with our NATO Allies to ensure a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance. Tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of Ukraine,’ he concluded his statement.
Meanwhile, as a direct response to Thursday’s invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, the United States Pentagon is moving up to eight F-35 fighter jets and a slew of other warplanes to Eastern Europe, the Baltics and Poland to shore up support for NATO allies following what President Biden called the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the direction of the president, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III also ordered an infantry battalion task force, some 800 troops, to the Baltics, according to a senior Defense Department official. All of the troops and warplanes were already in the European theater, the official said.
The latest orders come as the Biden administration and its European allies called the Kremlin’s recognition of two separatist regions of Ukraine defiance of international law. Mr. Biden on Tuesday joined European leaders in imposing economic sanctions against Russia for what he termed as a violation of Ukraine’s national sovereignty.
The Pentagon said the additional forces are being repositioned to “reassure our NATO allies, deter any potential aggression against NATO member states, and train with host-nation forces.” The Biden administration has said that it does not intend to send troops into Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance.
Biden has already deployed 3,000 additional American troops to Poland and Romania.
