US Division Ready to Enter Ukraine in Case of Attack on NATO: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The US Army's 101st Airborne Division is ready to enter Ukraine in case of further tensions between Moscow and Kiev or an attack on a NATO member state, CBS News reported, citing the division’s command staff.
"We're 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, TASS reported.
"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," CBS News noted.
"The commanders told CBS News repeatedly that they are always ‘ready to fight tonight,’ and while they're there to defend NATO territory, if the fighting escalates or there's any attack on NATO, they're 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 Donbass republics. In response, the West imposed major sanctions on Russia.
In addition, Western countries started to provide weapons and military equipment to Kiev, 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.