[Epoch Times, February 15, 2022](The Epoch Times reporter Wang Xiang compiled and reported) Pentagon spokesman John Kirby (John Kirby) said Monday (February 14) that more than 3,000 U.S. troops recently deployed in Poland are currently Prepare to assist refugees fleeing Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion.
Kirby said the U.S. military can do an excellent job of assisting in the evacuation of refugee flows. “They will work with the Polish authorities to study what the situation will look like and how it will be handled,” Kirby said.
Kirby said U.S. forces are versatile and can accomplish many tasks. However, this statement by the Pentagon may be the first time that the outside world has seen the role of American soldiers in the region.
Kirby reiterated President Biden’s promise that U.S. troops would not fight in Ukraine.
Over the past four days, about 3,000 U.S. soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division, part of the United Defense Alliance, have arrived in Poland.
With Russian military action increasingly likely, the United States and its European allies were making concrete preparations on Monday to defend NATO members and protect civilians.
Later this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Poland, where he will attend NATO ministerial meetings in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.
Kirby said Russian President Vladimir Putin “continues to move forward” with preparations for an invasion of Ukraine and may be “doing everything expected” if Putin decides to take military action.
More than 100,000 Russian soldiers are stationed on Russia’s border with Ukraine. Russia claims it is only conducting military exercises with its ally Belarus.
But Kirby said the deployment of so many soldiers across Ukraine would be unconvincing if it was an exercise.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ordered the U.S. embassy in Kiev to close on Monday and instructed embassy staff to relocate to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.
“Perhaps more than ever, Russia may decide to go ahead with military action,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said late Monday.
But he also added that the United States has not yet concluded that a Russian invasion of Ukraine is inevitable. He said the United States believes there is still a window for a diplomatic solution to the problem.
Responsible editor: Lin Yan#