New Delhi: The US Army’s 101st Airborne Division is ready to enter Ukraine in case of further tensions between Moscow and Kyiv or an attack on a NATO member state, According to the media report.
“We are ready to defend every inch of NATO soil,” the division’s Deputy Commander Brigadier General John Lubas said, as cited by the media outlet. Commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Colonel Edwin Matthaidess, in turn, noted that his troops, deployed to Romania, have been “closely watching” the Russian forces, “building objectives to practice against” and conducting drills that “replicate exactly what’s going on” in the war.
“In all, about 4,700 soldiers from the 101st Airborne’s home base in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, have been deployed to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank,” Media reported.
“The commanders told media that they are always ‘ready to fight tonight,’ and while they are there to defend NATO territory, if the fighting escalates or there is any attack on NATO, they are fully prepared to cross the border into Ukraine,” the media outlet added.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation based on a request from the heads of the Donbas republics. In response, the West imposed major sanctions on Russia. In addition, Western countries started to provide weapons and military equipment to Kyiv, whose total value is currently estimated at billions of dollars. However, US President Joe Biden has repeatedly stated that he has no plans to send US troops to Ukraine.
(Vinayak)