US airborne drills, which include live-fire ground and air assault exercises, are being conducted just several miles from Romania’s border with Ukraine, where Russia continues its special military operation.
The deployment of the US Army's 101st Airborne Division in Europe has caused waves on social media, with netizens blasting the move amid growing tension between Russia and NATO.
CBS News reported on Friday that the unit’s troops are conducting joint drills with counterparts from Romania, which hosts the war games. According to the broadcaster, the exercises are being carried out just several miles from Romania’s border with Ukraine, where the Russian special military operation is underway.
Twitter users were quick to respond, with some slamming the “stupid war mongers” from the US military and writing that “American hegemony continues to disrupt the international order for its own interests”.
These sentiments were echoed by another user, who warned that “this isn’t WW2” and that “nukes will start flying if America tries to get involved [in the Ukraine conflict] directly”. Another netizen sarcastically noted - referring to the US airborne units - that “Dark Brandon's forces march to the Gates of Mordor,” while another cautioned: “Stop pushing WW3 dialogue”.
“Classic diplomacy move, having troops near the borders of two warring nations that America (should) have nothing to do with,” a separate message read.
The comments followed a 101st Airborne Division commander telling CBS News that they are “ready to defend every inch of NATO soil,” adding that the troops “bring that mobility with us, for our aircraft and air assaults”.
Moscow Warns West Against Arms Supplies to Kiev
The unit’s war games in Romania come amid ongoing US military funding of Kiev, with Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin recently informing that President Joe Biden approved an additional $675 million package for Ukraine, which includes howitzers, artillery munitions, Humvees, armored ambulances, and anti-tank systems.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against its arms supplies to Kiev, which the Kremlin says further escalates the Ukraine conflict. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov cautioned that “any weapon, [and] any arms shipment on the Ukrainian territory" would be considered “a legitimate target” by the Russian military.
Lavrov referred to Ukrainian forces widely using the US-made military hardware and communication systems in hostilities, underlining that “the United States is not at all neutral in this situation" and that Washington is "a party to the [Ukraine] conflict.”
The view was shared by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu who earlier underlined that, “Ukraine has been picked [by the West] as an instrument of a hybrid war against Russia,” and that western arms supplies to Kiev contribute to prolonging the Ukraine conflict and causing more casualties.
In an address to the nation last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the West’s current goal is “to weaken, divide and ultimately destroy” Russia.
He referred to “some irresponsible politicians in the West,“ who “talk about plans to organize the supply of long-range offensive weapons to Ukraine, systems that are capable of launching strikes against Crimea and other regions of Russia.” The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, warned that the West’s supplies of such weaponry to Kiev would become “red lines” for Moscow, which the ministry said had enough
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