President Biden: There will not be American forces moving into Ukraine

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said there would not be any American forces heading into Ukraine as tensions continue to grow between the country and its neighbor, Russia.

Russia has been amassing troops at the border of the two nations, leading many to believe they are planning an offensive military action.

“There is not going to be any American forces moving into Ukraine,” Biden told reporters regarding the issue. The United States and its allies have consistently warned that a Russian invasion of the bordering country could be nearing as Moscow has sent at least 100,000 troops to its border with Kyiv.

Biden’s comments come the day following the Pentagon’s announcement on Monday that it is preparing as many as 8,500 troops to potentially deploy to Eastern Europe. 

The majority of those troops would assist the NATO Response Force, a force collected among the nations of NATO, that the organization could deploy at any given time. So far, that force has not yet been activated.

When he was questions about what actions would lead to the deployment of those troops, President Biden noted that it depends on “what Putin does or doesn’t do.” He added, “It’s not provocative,” addressing concerns among NATO allies in Eastern Europe regarding Russia’s military buildup.

“Everyone from Poland on has a reason to be concerned about what would happen and what spillover effects could occur,” the president continued. “We have no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine. But … there are going to be serious economic consequences if he moves.”

Biden has said in the past that sending troops directly into Ukraine to assist in defense was “not on the table,” but he did say an invasion would cause the U.S. to boost NATO’s defenses.