The transfer of American reinforcements to Poland, sent to reassure allies worried about Russian-Ukrainian tensions, "has begun", a spokesman for the Polish army told AFP on Saturday February 5.
"The first soldiers have arrived safely at Jesionka airport," Major Przemyslaw Lipczynski said, adding that the main forces of a US contingent of 1,700 troops are due to arrive "soon".
Major Lipczynski said logistical preparations had "started since last week".
On Saturday, a plane with soldiers from the US 82nd Airborne Division landed in Jesionka.
Dispatch of 3,000 American troops
The United States announced last Wednesday the dispatch of 3,000 additional American soldiers to Eastern Europe to defend the NATO countries "against any aggression", in the midst of a diplomatic ballet aimed at convincing Moscow to withdraw its massed troops at the borders of Ukraine.
The new American troops are in addition to the 8,500 soldiers placed on alert at the end of January by American President Joe Biden to be deployed in NATO's rapid reaction force if necessary.
>> To read: "Ukraine: in Kharkiv, an army of civilians is preparing for the Russian invasion"
Westerners have accused Moscow since the end of 2021 of having massed tens of thousands of soldiers on Ukraine's borders for a potential invasion, which Russia denies, claiming only to guarantee its security.
With AFP
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