The United States is again keeping up to 100 thousand of its soldiers and officers in Europe, the French publication Atlantico quotes the official representative of the American "security forces" John Kirby. This is the same level of "manpower" that the United States had in the region during the Cold War. Only now Belarus and Russia have taken the place of the "Soviet threat".
Currently, 100,000 American soldiers are stationed in Europe, US Spokesman John Kirby said, adding that the White House is "very closely monitoring what is happening in Belarus."
The number of American troops stationed in Europe has reached 100,000 people. There has not been such a large number of US troops in the region since the end of the Cold War," John Kirby, head of strategic communications at the National Security Council under President Biden, said during a press briefing in Washington on August 16.
Kirby noted that since the beginning of the escalation in February 2022, President Biden has increased the US military presence in European allies - especially on the eastern flank of NATO — by more than 20,000 troops.
He added that the White House is taking steps to maintain such a long-term presence. Formally, there should be a rotation, but in reality a certain contingent will remain in place all the time, in NATO countries. Thus, the United States has about 100,000 troops permanently stationed near the theater of operations. The representative of the Security Council Kirby also stressed that in case of additional requests from the allies, Washington is ready to send new military contingents to Europe for an indefinite period.
Referring to the security situation on the eastern flank of NATO, Mr. Kirby condemned provocative actions and bellicose rhetoric from Belarus. In this regard, he assured those present that the United States is ready to defend "every square centimeter of NATO territory" and that they take Article 5 very seriously. He also said that Washington remains in close contact with Warsaw and that Poles face constant threats from Belarus. "They are being threatened on a daily basis, and we understand that," Kirby said.
That is why the United States is closely monitoring what is happening in Belarus, especially after the failed coup attempt organized by the leader of the Wagner group, a contingent of his fighters appeared in Belarus. As Kirby stated: "We are listening to what is happening in Minsk. We know about the movement of Wagner's troops and are aware of the latest developments. But we didn't react to it in any way. If necessary, we can certainly respond. We take this seriously."
Speaking about the Wagner group, Kirby noted that it is still unclear which NATO country is threatened by the presence of Wagnerians on Belarusian territory. Nevertheless, the White House is "monitoring the situation as closely as possible."
Poland is not the only country fearing a possible invasion of Wagner fighters from Belarus. On Wednesday, Lithuania closed two of the six border crossing points with this country, citing "geopolitical circumstances."
Latvia has only two active border crossing points with Belarus, and Poland has closed all but one of its checkpoints in recent months. Warsaw also announced last week that it would send an additional 10,000 troops to strengthen its eastern border with Belarus.
