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Washington-January 29 (Online): US President Joe Biden sought to maintain pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, announcing a small troop deployment to eastern Europe even as top Pentagon officials backed a renewed push for diplomacy.<\/p>\n
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As President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western leaders to avoid stirring “panic” over the massive Russian troop buildup on his country s borders, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need for de-escalation.<\/p>\n
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Neither Putin nor his Western counterparts had until now appeared ready to give ground in the weeks-long crisis, the worst in decades in the region between Russia and Western Europe.<\/p>\n
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But according to a Macron aide, Putin told the French leader in a call lasting more than an hour that he had “no offensive plans.”<\/p>\n
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In Washington, Biden nevertheless said he would soon send a small number of US troops — “not too many” — to bolster the NATO presence in eastern Europe as tensions remain heightened.<\/p>\n
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The United States already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly Western Europe.<\/p>\n
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At the Pentagon, top officials urged a focus on diplomacy while saying that Russia now had enough troops and equipment in place to threaten the whole of Ukraine.<\/p>\n
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Any such conflict, warned the top US general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, would be “horrific” for both sides.<\/p>\n
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“If that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties,” Milley said.<\/p>\n
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“It would be horrific, it will be terrible,” he said.<\/p>\n
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But speaking alongside Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said war in Ukraine could still be avoided.<\/p>\n
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“Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy,” said Austin.<\/p>\n
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“Mr Putin can do the right thing as well,” said Austin. “There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict. He can choose to de-escalate. He can order his troops away.”<\/p>\n
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During his talks with Macron, Putin “expressed no offensive plans and said he wanted to continue the talks with France and our allies,” the aide to the French president said.<\/p>\n
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Their conversation “enabled us to agree on the need for a de-escalation,” the aide told journalists. Putin “said very clearly that he did not want confrontation.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington-January 29 (Online): US President Joe Biden sought to maintain pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, announcing a small troop deployment to eastern Europe even as top Pentagon officials backed a renewed push for diplomacy. As President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western […]<\/p>\n
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