Soldiers of the XVIII Airborne Corps arrive in Wiesbaden, Germany, in support of NATO allies, Feb. 4, 2022. (Credit: US DOD / Army Spc. Joshua Cowden)

By  Gary  Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   –  Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin on Thursday ordered the deployment of 7,000 service members to be deployed to Germany to enhance deterrence of Russia.   The major unit in the tranche of troops is the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, according to a Pentagon statement. The troops will be going to Germany “to reassure NATO allies, deter Russian aggression and to be prepared to support a range of other requirements in the region,”  according the a senior defense official speaking on background.   Some 12,000 U.S. troops, total, have deployed or been ordered to deploy to Europe from the United States and another 2,000 troops in Europe who have moved closer to NATO’s eastern flank. They join 80,000 U.S. service members based in Europe. Adding in the service members of NATO members on the continent, this brings the number to more than 2 million, the official said.  

U.S. President Biden condemned  Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified”  attack on Ukraine 

“The Russian military has begun a brutal assault on the people of Ukraine without provocation, without justification, without necessity. This is a premeditated attack.  Vladimir Putin has been planning this for months, as I’ve been — as we’ve been saying all along. Putin is the aggressor.  Putin chose this war.  And now he and his country will bear the consequences. Today, I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia. This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.”

-President Joe Biden

The U.S. president said the actions have now sanctioned Russian banks that together hold around $1 trillion in assets.

“We’ve cut off Russia’s largest bank — a bank that holds more than one third of Russia’s banking assets by itself — cut it off from the U.S. financial system,” President Biden said.   “And today, we’re also blocking four more major banks.  That means every asset they have in America will be frozen.  This includes V.T.B., the second-largest bank in Russia, which has $250 billion in assets.”