WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th February, 2022) A US interagency delegation is heading to Sofia, Bucharest and Brussels next week to consult with allies on "Russian aggression" against Ukraine, the State Department said on Friday.
"Counselor of the Department Derek Chollet will lead an interagency delegation to Sofia, Bucharest, and Brussels from February 7 to 11 to engage with our partners in Europe on a range of issues, and to consult with NATO Allies and the European Union partners on Russian aggression towards Ukraine," the statement said.
Chollet will meet with Bulgaria's new government to continue the talks on strategic dialogue which started in 2020. In Romania, Chollet will stress the importance of bilateral strategic partnership against the backdrop of US troop deployments to the country over the Ukraine crisis.
Chollet will also travel to Belgium to meet with NATO and European Union representatives.
"(He will) discuss recent diplomatic engagements with Russia and joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression against Ukraine, including Allies' and partners' readiness to impose massive consequences and severe economic costs on Russia. Throughout his trip, the Counselor will reaffirm our ironclad commitment to NATO and our Allies and discuss how the United States can continue to support NATO countries, particularly on the eastern flank," the statement said.
On Thursday, US troops started boarding military transport aircraft at Fort Bragg in North Carolina to deploy to NATO countries in Europe in response to the Ukraine crisis. Nearly 2,000 soldiers are being deployed to Poland, and another 1,000 positioned in Germany will be relocated to Romania. Another 8,500 troops "remain ready to move if called for the NATO response force," the Pentagon says, stressing that the deployment is temporary and depends on the security situation in the region.
Moscow dismisses the West's accusations as a pretext for NATO to deploy more military hardware and troops closer to Russian borders. Russia says it has no intention of attacking anyone.
