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POLISH Defence Minister (Tomasz Siemoniak)Inspects first US troops to arrive in eastern Europe |
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'A message to Moscow': First of 600 U.S. soldiers arrive in eastern Europe prompting Kremlin to launch its own military drills near the border as death toll rises in Ukraine
Published: 03:35 AEST, 25 April 2014
The first of 600 U.S. soldiers have arrived in eastern Europe as a Pentagon spokesman declared the mission was sending a 'message to Moscow'.
But the Nato drills prompted a backlash from Russia, which sent its troops on exercises along the Ukrainian border today and declared: 'We have to react somehow'.
The escalation of east-west tensions comes amid a slowly rising death toll in Ukraine, where the government renewed its crackdown today on pro-Russian militants leaving at least five shot dead.
Around 150 soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade arrived yesterday at an air force base in Swidwin, western Poland, as the U.S. stepped up its presence in eastern Europe.
Flying to the region from their previous posting in Italy, they were met by Polish troops in similar red berets and the nation's defence minister.
Within a few days there will be 450 more American Nato troops spread between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The Americans insisted the military exercises will not be a precursor to intervention in Ukraine...
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But Russia has insisted the build-up may violate the Founding Act, a 1997 agreement between Moscow and Nato.
Today Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reacted by ordering new military exercises in Russia's south and west, along the Ukrainian border.
The latest exercises - which add to the tens of thousands of troops already massed on the border - will involve ground and air forces.
'We have to react to these developments somehow,' he said.
Mr Shoigu quoted unspecified sources claiming Kiev has deployed more than 11,000 troops and 160 tanks against just 2,000 pro-Russian insurgents.
Today Russian President Vladimir Putin added: 'If the Kiev government is using the army against its own people this is clearly a grave crime.'
The U.S. and Nato ...
... are 'temporarily' boosting their presence in eastern Europe in a drive to reassure allies ...
EXTRACTS ONLY: FULL ARTICLE ABOVE LINK
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Clearly 'temporary' is not the case.
US-NATO now (July 2014) seek to amass more military in Europe.
Obama/US have granted a $1billion fighting fund contribution to NATO.
NATO's is hitting up members for $$ towards more NATO funds.
So what happened to 'temporary'? LOL
Meanwhile: Russia's done nothing aggressive or provocative.
Daily Mail's headline's pretty damned provocative. LOL.
This is very much about US strategic expansion into Europe.
[Excuse the formatting...driving me bananas...feeling my way around :) ]
