Russia-Ukraine: Pentagon planning for US troops to help evacuate Americans: LIVE UPDATES
Senior U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News' Jennifer Griffin Wednesday a report in The Wall Street Journal saying that the "White House has approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands of Americans likely to flee Ukraine if Russia attacks."
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Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin has the latest on U.S. troops responding to the tensions between Russia and Ukraine on 'Your World.'
Don’t write off Kyiv, but if Vladimir Putin attacks "any day" under cover of wargames in Belarus starting this week, President Biden will have an instant decision to make.
Ukraine does not want U.S. or NATO ground forces. They’ve already lost 14,000 in the eastern region conflict with Russia and want to fight Russia themselves.
However, Ukraine will need help, fast. U.S. commanders would receive word of a Russian attack in less than five minutes.
NATO’s ready. Is Biden?
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Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, who oversaw the Afghanistan evacuation last year and was the last American soldier to depart Kabul, has been deployed to Poland as a report emerged Wednesday that the Pentagon is planning for U.S. troops in the eastern European county to help Americans evacuate if Russia invades Ukraine. (U.S. Army/XVIII Airborne Corps)
Senior U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News' Jennifer Griffin Wednesday a report in The Wall Street Journal saying that the "White House has approved a Pentagon plan for U.S. troops in Poland to help thousands of Americans likely to flee Ukraine if Russia attacks."
The report, citing U.S. officials, said some of the 1,700 troops from the 82nd Airborne Corps being deployed to eastern Europe are going to "set up checkpoints, tent camps and other temporary facilities inside Poland's border with Ukraine in preparation to serve arriving Americans."
Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, the commanding general of the 82nd Airborne Division who oversaw the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan last August, was deployed to Poland this past weekend.
U.S. officials are expecting up to five million refugees to flee Ukraine if Russia stages an invasion. An estimated 30,000 Americans are still in Ukraine despite numerous pleas from the State Department to depart immediately, and only 7,000 are registered with the U.S. embassy there in Kyiv.
Pope Francis arrives to attend his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on Wednesday. (AP/Gregorio Borgia)
Pope Francis told a crowd gathered at the Vatican Wednesday that a large conflict in Ukraine would be "madness".
"Let us continue to beg the God of peace so that the tensions and threats of war can be overcome through a serious dialogue and that the Normandy Format talks can contribute to this aim," Francis said, referencing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine that are being facilitated by Germany and France, according to Reuters.
"And let's not forget. War is madness," he added.
The pope also thanked those who participated in his Jan. 26 international day of prayer for peace in Ukraine, Reuters reports.
Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday and while there were no clear breakthrough, the French leader said that was not necessarily his goal.
He told reporters that he did not think “for a second” that Putin would make concessions, Reuters reported. Macron also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who said he would welcome concrete steps from Putin for de-escalation. He said he didn’t “trust words in general.”
Macron also sought to temper expectations.
“Let’s not be naive,” he said. “Since the beginning of the crisis, France hasn’t been inclined to exaggerate, but at the same time, I don’t believe this crisis can be settled in a few hours, through discussions” -Edmund DeMarche, AP
Six Russian warships are currently heading to the Black Sea -- which borders Ukraine -- for previously-planned naval drills, Reuters reports, citing the Russian Interfax news agency.
Moscow last month announced military exercises involving all of its fleets in the Pacific and Atlantic, according to Reuters.
The ships are expected to travel though Turkey's straits Tuesday and Wednesday in order to enter the Black Sea, sources told the news agency. - Greg Norman
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