Tensions at the Ukraine-Russia border have risen dramatically in the last few days. Friday saw reports that Russian President Vladimir Putin had allegedly decided to invade Ukraine. The same day, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered the deployment of 3,000 combat troops to Poland to join the several thousand American soldiers already gathering in nearby NATO nations. The U.S. State Department has told nonemergency employees of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave due to the "potential for significant military action."
Biden also took steps over the weekend to defuse hostilities. During a one-hour call Saturday, he warned Putin of the potential for "widespread human suffering" if Russia invades, noting that the U.S. is "equally prepared" for situations other than diplomacy. But just before that call took place, the Pentagon moved to withdraw nearly 160 members of the Florida National Guard from Ukraine, repositioning them elsewhere in Europe.
