Today at 00:17
American army commanders consider crossing the border with Ukraine. Could the US troops enter the territory of Ukraine and what would it change? The commanders of the 101st Airborne Division said ‘they are ready to fight at any moment’ and that ‘in case of escalation, they are ready to cross the border with Ukraine.’ What is the official position of the American administration and how to perceive hints made by both the military and the ex-director of the CIA? The former head of the CIA, David Petraeus, states the circumstances under which ‘the United States could participate in the war in Ukraine.’ Can these messages be considered an attempt to ‘feel’ public opinion and understand how the United States and Europe will react? Or what Russia’s reaction will be? Comments from John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, and Ned Price, Spokesman for the United States Department of State, on the US position on the use of troops in military conflicts abroad. The debate in Washington is about what to consider ‘an attack on NATO’ or any of the countries that are members of the Alliance. This and more – see in the new video by Oleksiy Matsuka, Editor-in-Chief of the Ukrainian International Broadcasting Channel FREEDOM.
The 101stAirborne Division of the US Army is now deployed In Romania, right on the border with Ukraine. This unit is just fabulous. It was formed back in August 1942… It participated in the Normandy landings… Eight decades (!) after those events, this division – also known as the Screaming Eagles – was sent to Europe again. About two and a half thousand soldiers were redeployed to Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia to protect NATO’s Eastern flank. Most of them stand now on the very border with Ukraine. But there is a very strict order – they can’t even step into Ukrainian territory. After all, if at least one American military man suffers, the US will be instantly involved in this war. And Biden administration is trying to avoid this scenario.
So why this unit is on the ear today? A report, issued by the American CBS channel, has changed everything. Its correspondent visited the unit, spoke with the command. He learned that the US military drill was meant to recreate the battles Ukraine’s forces are fighting every day against Russian troops, just across the border! That is, in fact, they are working out counteraction to Russian troops! But what surprised us the most was that the article contained the words: the US military is “ready to fight tonight”. Here’s how the reporter put it.
“The “Screaming Eagles” commanders told CBS News repeatedly that they are always “ready to fight tonight,” and while they’re there to defend NATO territory, if the fighting escalates or there’s any attack on NATO, they’re fully prepared to cross the border into Ukraine,” CBS News agency.
It’s a bid announcement, isn’t it? Moreover, American military do not talk too much. If they agreed to an interview and declared the possible redeployment to the territory of Ukraine, it means they’ve received the “green light” from the command.
Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency David Petraeus gave an interview to the L’Express French weekly. He directly stated that there might be some situations when “the United States could take part in the war in Ukraine.”
“In the event of Russia’s active actions, the US and other countries might react in one way or another, but as a multinational force led by the U.S. and not as a NATO force,” David Petraeus, Former head of CIA
Two statements were published almost simultaneously. Designed for different audiences. The statements were not voiced by the officials, but they were aimed at boosting interest… Maybe this is an attempt to test the water? How will the US residents react? And what would Europe tell? Or is it a signal to Russia… Moscow is constantly raising the stakes, threatening to use nuclear weapons – so this is our response to it.
So did the military say something that did not correspond to the official position? Or did the journalists get it wrong? It’s time to tell you what we managed to find out on this issue. After talking with our US colleagues, we found out that the journalist who made the report is not a freshman. On the contrary, he’s one of the most experienced journalists, who could not make a mistake. And then it became known that the text was coordinated with the military in advance! That is, the words about “readiness to cross the border of Ukraine” were not a surprise for them. They fully corresponded to the messages they wanted to convey.
It will not be an exaggeration to still regard this as a signal. A signal of supporting Ukraine. And first of all, a signal to Moscow. It is impossible to constantly raise the stakes by threatening to use nuclear weapons or by talking about a “dirty bomb”. The US has a descent response if the situation develops to the extremes. And one of the options for this answer – at least theoretically – could be the redeployment of the 101st Airborne Division to the territory of Ukraine. It’s a matter of crossing the border.
Yes, the White House will do everything possible to prevent this from happening and to avoid escalation. As they did before by calling American instructors back from Ukraine. Or by suggesting that the US embassy in Kyiv be guarded not by the marines, but by State Department “diplomatic security” officers. The administration is aimed at avoiding direct involvement of the United States in the conflict (and informally they admit this is a personal decision of the head of state). But everything has a limit – this is apparently what they wanted to demonstrate to the Kremlin.
Military experts underline yet another detail. Sure, the key task of the US units deployed to Europe is to protect the interests of NATO. But in the event of a real threat, these interests can be protected not only on the territory of the Alliance!
“The protection of NATO countries is the core paradigm of the US troops involvement. They actively promote this paradigm. But it is not written that the defense of NATO should take place in the NATO countries. They can also protect the Alliance in foreign territory, from which a blow can be struck. It’s the Americans, the Pentagon! They will not wait for an attack on NATO structures. They will launch preventive strikes,” Roman Svitan, military expert
The West is now building a “checks and balances” system to keep the Kremlin from irreversible steps. Deployment of American troops in Europe is one of such mechanisms. Apparently, a hint that they can go further was needed here. At least in order to start discussing such a possibility – in Ukraine, in Europe, and in the United States.
