“American citizens should leave now,” Biden said in an interview with NBC. “We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation, and things can get crazy fast.”
And the US State Department had said in a warning, “Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased risks of Russian military action and COVID-19. Those in Ukraine should leave immediately by commercial or private means.”
This comes at a time when Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Plaszcz said that US F-15 planes landed Thursday at a Polish air base at a time when NATO is strengthening its military presence on its eastern flank amid tension over a confrontation between Ukraine and Russia.
The planes arrived with the deployment of more American and British forces in Poland, which British Prime Minister Boris Johnson visited as an expression of solidarity.
“US F-15 fighters have arrived at the Lusk Air Force Base and will support the eastern flank as part of the NATO Air Protection Mission,” Blastak wrote on Twitter.
The defense minister did not say how many F-15s had landed at the base.
American planes of the same model were also sent to the Baltic states.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said London could send more troops to help support its eastern European allies if needed, after announcing the deployment of 350 troops to Poland on Monday.
