Pentagon: U.S. is moving Florida National Guard troops out of Ukraine
As U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia President Vladimir Putin spoke Saturday amid rising tensions around a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, 160 Florida National Guard troops have been “repositioned,” from Ukraine to elsewhere in Europe.
That’s according to a statement from Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby.
“This repositioning does not signify a change in our determination to support Ukraine’s Armed Forces, but will provide flexibility in assuring allies and deterring aggression,” years, including near the Ukrainian border, while six Russian landing craft have been moved to the Black Sea for naval exercises that begin Sunday.
The land exercises are due to end Feb. 20. Both countries have said the drills are purely defensive and that forces will return to base once they are finished. Ukraine has also begun military exercises in parallel.
Potential actions by Russia could include causing a provocation in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, where Ukrainian forces have been fighting for years against separatists backed by Moscow, or Kirby’s statement said.
Those National Guard troops, assigned to the 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, “Task Force Gator,” have been “advising and mentoring” Ukrainian forces since late November.
Kirby’s statement said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin decided to move the troops “out of an abundance of caution — with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind — and informed by the State Department’s guidance on U.S. personnel in Ukraine.”
David J. Neal: 305-376-3559, @DavidJNeal attacking the country’s capital, Kyiv, Western officials familiar with the matter said, asking not to be identified speaking about such a sensitive topic. They stressed that Putin’s final intentions were not known.
The U.S. has also been working with European countries on a package of potential sanctions to be imposed on Russia in the event of an attack on Ukraine. There have been some differences though on how hard to hit Russia and in what areas, especially for European nations like Germany highly dependent on Russian gas.