NATO to Send Ships, Jet Fighters to Eastern Europe Amid Standoff With Russia – WSJ

BRUSSELS NATO allies are bolstering the alliance s eastern flank in response to Russia s military buildup around Ukraine, as the European Union set out plans for loans and grants for Kyiv worth more than $1.3 billion and the Pentagon ordered thousands of troops to prepare for possible deployment.

The moves are part of efforts by the U.S. and its allies to gird for what they believe could be an imminent military invasion of Ukraine, which Russia denies it is planning. President Biden held a videoconference with European leaders Monday afternoon to coordinate the trans-Atlantic response to the Russian troop buildup.

In Washington, the Pentagon said it had ordered up to 8,500 U.S. troops on standby for deployment to Eastern Europe, U.S. officials said.

Most of the troops would join a North Atlantic Treaty Organization response force to be activated by the alliance, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, while others could be deployed for other contingency operations including, potentially, evacuation efforts. The U.S. troops won t be authorized to enter Ukraine. The troops and their families were being notified Monday and many must be prepared to move within days, U.S. officials said.

Meanwhile, three U.S.-allied nations Australia, Germany and the U.K. have now said they were pulling diplomatic personnel or their families from embassies in Kyiv, following the U.S. on Sunday.

via www.wsj.com

My son Luke and his wife Anna called us today from Kyiv. They reassured us that they had plans A, B and C to exit Ukraine this weekend. I was reassured (somewhat). Your prayers are still appreciated.