Russia accuses Washington of fueling Ukraine tensions as US puts troops on alert

Russia is watching with “great concern” the potential deployment of 8,500 U.S. troops to Eastern Europe, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday.

While Russia has amassed 100,000 of its own troops along the border with Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion, Peskov said it was Washington that was “escalating tensions,” the Russian government-owned outlet TASS reported.

The Pentagon overnight put 8,500 troops on “heightened alert” to deploy to Eastern Europe in case Russia attacks Ukraine, while NATO announced Tuesday that allies would be moving additional defense resources to its eastern flank.

But the Kremlin spokesman argued Washington’s move “does not affect the course of the negotiations” with the U.S. on Moscow’s security demands — many of which western allies have called nonstarters.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov played down the risk of a full-scale Russian invasion in the near future, saying Russian armed forces have not created “strike groups indicating they were ready to launch an offensive tomorrow.”

On Monday, the European Commission proposed more than €1 billion in potential new funding for Ukraine, showing support for Kyiv as it faces the Russian threat.

The EU is still working toward solving internal differences over its response to Moscow, as tensions simmered Monday at a foreign ministers’ meeting over supplying weapons to Ukraine and a proposed military training mission.