The White House stated on Tuesday that US President Joe Biden has "no intention" of sending American soldiers to Ukraine despite rising tensions with Russia. The remarks came a day after the Pentagon said that some 8,500 US troops have been placed on high alert in the United States in case they are called to deploy to Europe as part of NATO's Response Force.

"Through NATO, we're strengthening support in our eastern flank countries." That is why NATO exists, and we are dedicated to maintaining the alliance's integrity," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "To be clear, the president has no intention, interest, or desire to send troops to Ukraine. NATO is a venue for supporting our eastern flank nations, and that is where we have concentrated our efforts "she continued.

The decision to place the soldiers on standby comes as tensions in eastern Europe rise, with the West and NATO accusing Russia of planning an invasion of Ukraine. Along with a massive deployment of armoured vehicles and artillery, Russia has assembled about 120,000 troops on its border with the former Soviet republic.

Belarus, directly to the north of Ukraine, has witnessed a comparable buildup. In all situations, Russia denies planning an invasion and insists that its military are present for regular exercises. Following Russia's illegitimate annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO began to beef up its presence in Eastern Europe. The Kremlin also began supporting pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine that year, a policy it has continued for the last eight years.

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