Russia has created a crisis by deploying more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine's eastern, northern and southern borders.
Talks to defuse the tension have included multiple Russian demands, including that NATO forces retreat to mid-1990s status before eastern expansion of the alliance. Not only is that a nonstarter with allied leaders, but the opposite could — and should — happen, with several countries considering bolstering forces in Poland, the Baltics and elsewhere.
Among these nations are the United States, which on Monday put 8,500 troops on alert that they may soon be quickly deployed to Eastern Europe, with some of them perhaps part of a special 40,000 multinational-member unit called the NATO Response Force. Other members are also taking action, including sending naval vessels and aircraft.
