By TOE Correspondent | Reporting and editing by Hum KC

The United States will deploy 2,000 additional troops to Europe and relocate another 1,000 personnel from Germany to Romania to support the “robust defence” of NATO allies in Europe, the Pentagon has announced, amid the continuing standoff between Russia and Ukraine.

US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday that the troop deployment will take place in the coming days. He said it is separate from, and in addition to, the 8,500 soldiers placed on heightened alert by the Pentagon last week.

Kirby emphasized that US forces will not be deployed to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.

“These movements are clear signals to the world that we are prepared to reassure our NATO allies and deter and defend against any aggression,” he said.

The White House announced on Wednesday that 1,700 troops will be deployed from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Poland, while another 300 soldiers will be sent from the same base to Germany.

The Russian military has been building up forces near Ukraine’s border, triggering a diplomatic crisis and increasing fears in the United States and Europe that Moscow could be preparing for a possible invasion.

Russia has denied any plan to invade but has strongly opposed Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. Moscow has also demanded security guarantees that the US-led alliance will halt its expansion into former Soviet republics, a request that Washington and NATO have rejected as a “non-starter.”