The first units of American troops sent by Washington to Poland have arrived as part of the strengthening of the U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe, according to the Polish news agency. The agency reported today, Saturday, that the first group of the 82nd Airborne Division arrived at "Jasionka" Airport near the city of Rzeszów (approximately 70 km from the Polish-Ukrainian border). This news comes after eight American aircraft landed at the same airport carrying military personnel responsible for preparing for the reception of the division's soldiers and providing logistical support to them.
Earlier this week, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby announced that the United States had decided to send additional forces to Romania, Poland, and Germany, noting that this step was taken in response to the rising tensions regarding Ukraine, although he indicated that American soldiers would not fight on Ukrainian territory.
In recent months, relations between Russia and Western countries have soured amid allegations from the U.S. and NATO that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine, which Moscow has repeatedly denied at various levels. For its part, Russia accuses Kyiv of violating the Minsk agreements aimed at resolving the conflict in the Donbas region (southeastern Ukraine) and of amassing large forces along the contact line between the sides, as well as shelling the positions of the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics with prohibited weapons. Moscow has also stated that the primary reason for the escalation of tensions is the United States and NATO supplying weapons to Ukraine, which encourages it to engage in military adventures.
