Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – President of the United States (US) Joe Biden put pressure again on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine. He announced that he would deploy troops to Eastern Europe.
Biden said he would send troops there, though “not too many”. “To increase NATO’s presence in eastern Europe as tensions continue to rise,” he was quoted as saying AFP.
The US already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across much of Western Europe. Previously warships and fighter jets of NATO countries had sailed for military exercises near Ukraine.
Biden’s remarks are the latest after the Pentagon’s push for diplomacy on the same day. The Pentagon said there was still time for diplomacy to avoid war.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, called war a terrible thing. If this happens, there will be large numbers of victims.
“If released in Ukraine, it would be significant and result in a large number of casualties,” Milley said.
“And you can imagine what it would be like in a congested urban area, along roads and so on. It’s going to be terrible, it’s going to be bad.”
Milley stressed the war could make civilians suffer. Russia will also suffer with it.
“If Russia chooses to attack Ukraine, it will not be free of cost, in terms of casualties or other effects,” he explained.
In line with Milley’s remarks, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the Ukraine conflict could still be avoided. Although Putin has amassed more than 100 thousand troops on the border of the two countries.
He encouraged Putin to do the right thing and chose to reduce tensions between the two countries. According to him, Putin can disband the troops that have been prepared.
“Mr Putin can also do the right thing. There’s no reason this situation would turn into a conflict. He could choose to de-escalate tensions, order his troops to leave,” Austin said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western leaders to avoid “panic” over Russia’s massive troop buildup on his country’s borders. Yesterday, in his talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin agreed on the need for de-escalation while still blaming the West for not understanding Russia.
(npb)
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