The United States denies that it is negotiating with Russia to reduce the number of its forces in Europe

The US State Department denied on Friday that it was considering reducing the number of US forces in Eastern Europe to facilitate next week’s talks with Russia on the crisis on the border with Ukraine. I have seen information that this administration is considering withdrawing US forces from Eastern Europe to prepare for these talks. I want to be very clear that this is not true.”Undersecretary of State Wendy Sherman explained in a call with reporters.

Thus, the undersecretary denied information from NBC, which published that the US government would prepare to reduce the presence of its forces in Eastern Europe. Sherman, who will participate next week in the meetings between Washington and NATO with Moscow, He stressed that in the event of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the United States and the coalition “will strengthen their flank in Eastern Europe.”.

The Undersecretary of the State Department explained that the United States has provided military aid to the Ukrainian government in the amount of 2500 million dollars over the past seven years, and confirmed that it is preparing to increase this amount. “If Russia invades Ukraine, we will provide more defense equipment to Ukraine, but I want to make it clear that the assistance will be to help Ukraine defend itself.”Sherman said.

Sherman’s call with reporters came hours after a news conference by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who said he had confidence in it. A “diplomatic solution” is still possible With Russia over Ukraine.

“We are ready to respond forcefully to Russian aggression, but we believe that a diplomatic solution is still feasible and preferable.”Blinken announced after a remote meeting with NATO foreign ministers.

In recent weeks, tensions have risen over fears of a possible Russian attack on UkraineWhich may happen, according to Ukrainian and American sources, early this year. Russia denied it was preparing an attack and said the West was paying excessive attention to troop movements within Russia’s borders.

Next Monday, 10 there will be a bilateral security conversation in Geneva between Sherman and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Two days later, on January 12, the NATO-Russia Council will be held in Brussels, and the next day another meeting sponsored by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will take place in Vienna.

It is expected that in those hadiths The controversy over the security guarantees Moscow requested in writing from the United States and NATO to ease the current tensionThis centered on part of the phone call that took place last week between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.