100 US troops arrive in Romania
One hundred U.S. soldiers have arrived in Romania to bolster NATO allies in Eastern Europe amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
Romania's defense minister, Vasile Dîncu, told reporters on Tuesday that the troops will oversee logistics.
"The Americans have arrived," Dîncu said, according to Reuters. "Over 100 specialist U.S. soldiers together with our logistics specialists are preparing, which means it will not be long before the rest of the troops arrive."
Roughly 900 U.S. soldiers are currently in Romania, according to Reuters.
The Pentagon announced last week that it was deploying and repositioning more than 3,000 troops to bolster allies and strengthen NATO's capabilities amid the tensions in the region.
Troops being repositioned to Romania are coming from Germany. They are part of an Infantry Stryker squadron that is intended to deploy in short order.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby also announced on Monday that a "couple hundred" U.S. troops had arrived in Poland. More U.S. troops are expected to enter the country in the coming days.
Kirby last week said the U.S. forces are being dispatched under bilateral agreements with Poland, Germany and Romania and will stay under U.S. command.
The arrival of U.S. troops in Romania comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, stoking fear among the U.S. and its allies that Russia is planning a military incursion against Ukraine.
Moscow, however, has denied having any plans to invade.
The U.S. and its allies, nonetheless, are gearing up amid the increased tensions. France has said it will dispatch troops to Romania and that it would lead a future NATO mission, according to Reuters. Such a mission could reportedly involve the deployment of 1,000 troops from various countries.
NATO announced last month that allies were sending additional ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe and putting forces on standby.
