The deployment of U.S. forces to Romania increases the danger for Russia, and Moscow will take this into account when ensuring its security, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
“The closer U.S. forces are to our borders, the greater the danger for us,” Peskov told a news conference reported on by Russian news outlet Tass. “Of course, [due to this], the better we counter, and we will continue to counter to ensure our own security,” the Russian official added.
The Kremlin spokesman stressed that deploying U.S. troops nearthe Russian border “does not lead to increased predictability and stability in the region,” according to BiziDay. The Russian news agency recalled that U.S. television station CBS recently aired a report about the U.S. 101st Airborne Division deployed in Romania, which it said was ready to fight in Ukraine in the event of an escalation of the conflict or an attack on a NATO member state.
Washington D.C. announced the famous Screaming Eagles’ first European deployment in nearly 80 years to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank. According to CBS, the division includes 4,700 troops. Peskov’s warning came after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave assurances to Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă that the alliance “stands ready to defend Romania” during a meeting in Brussels.
Established in 1918, the 101st turned into an airborne unit in 1942, gaining fame for its role in the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944.
