WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – According to a senior national security adviser, President Joe Biden intends to announce further sanctions over Russia this Thursday when in Brussels for discussions with NATO as well as European allies.
Biden, who will speak at the European Council summit and attend a special NATO meeting, is likely to stress the need of enforcing the avalanche of current measures declared by the US and its partners.
According to ABC NEWS, Biden is heading to Poland and Brussels, which has hosted well over 2 million Ukrainian refugees since the February 24 invasion, in order to advocate for sustained solidarity among Western allies while Russia continues its ruthless invasion of Ukraine.
As the battle drags on, Biden will speak with Polish President Andrzej Duda, who has asked for more US help and a stronger military presence on NATO’s eastern frontier. The United States has already more than quadrupled its normal troop presence, which now stands at over 4,000 troops. Approximately 10,000 US troops are now stationed in Poland.
In recent weeks, Romania, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia have all urged for a stronger NATO or US military deployment.
National security advisor Jake Sullivan of the White House claimed that conversations on troop changes are already happening.
Last week, at NATO’s Brussels head office, US Secretary Of defense Lloyd Austin and his counterparts discussed what defenses to put in place on the organization’s eastern flank, which stretches from Estonia in the north to Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland in the south, all the way down to Bulgaria and Romania on the Black Sea.
The goal is to discourage President Vladimir Putin from launching an attack against any of the 30 allies over the next 5-10 years, not just for the duration of the battle. Putin had insisted that NATO halt growing and withdraw its soldiers from the east before starting it. The exact opposite is taking place.
While NATO and the US will offer weapons as well as other defensive assistance to non-NATO country Ukraine, NATO and Biden have stated repeatedly that they are committed to prevent any escalation on Kyiv’s side that may lead to a larger confrontation with Russia.
Poland’s leaders have urged for a Western peacekeeping team to assist in Ukraine, a move that the US and other allies fear may widen the conflict.
Biden will also announce cooperative efforts to strengthen European energy security and reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian gas, according to Sullivan.
