Biden Considers Sending Thousands Of Troops To Counter Russia

President Biden is contemplating sending a few thousand troops to Eastern Europe and the Baltic States as part of a broader NATO effort to reinforce NATO allies that border Russia and Ukraine, amid escalating tensions.

Advisors presented various options to Biden on responding to Russia’s aggressive stance in Eastern Europe in a Sunday briefing at Camp David. The president is considering sending 3,000-5,000 U.S. troops to Romania and to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia as part of a more extensive NATO effort. Other NATO countries may also send troops to warn Russian President Vladimir Putin not to invade neighboring countries.

The president is also considering deploying naval vessels to make port visits to NATO allies who feel threatened.

The U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office announced Saturday that it had information indicating that Russia will plan to install a Russian puppet in Ukraine.

“We have information that indicates the Russian Government is looking to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv as it considers whether to invade and occupy Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the British agency said, adding that former Ukraine Member of Parliament Yevhen Murayev was being considered as a potential candidate.

Murayev heads Nashi, a small pro-Russian political party that currently has no representation in Ukraine’s parliament.

Biden met with his national security team Saturday to discuss a response to this development, which one U.S. official described as “deeply concerning.”

K.T. McFarland, the deputy national security adviser to former President Donald Trump, said that President Biden has brought the current circumstances upon himself, appearing to give President Putin a “green light” during a press conference this week.

“Whatever happened in Afghanistan had a ripple effect with Ukraine. Whatever is going to happen with Ukraine is going to have a ripple effect with China, but it will have a ripple effect with Iran. It’s going to have a ripple effect with North Korea because all of these countries will think they’ll seize the moment. They’ll think this is my time. America’s weak, it’s disorganized,” McFarland said.