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Transcript/ScriptUkraine Russia Poland NATO Troops -- USAGM
HEADLINE: In Forests Along Polish Border, US Troops Edge Closer to Ukraine Conflict
TEASER: Fears grow of accidental clashes – and of Russia targeting NATO deployments in eastern Europe in the event of a broader invasion
PUBLISHED AT: 3/10/22, 6:16 pm
BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Arlamów, Poland
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bowman, Holly Franko
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, AFP, APTN, Reuters, Teams
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:25
VID APPROVED BY: Holly Franko
TYPE: VPKGN
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[U.S. troops have deployed in the forested mountains of eastern Poland, just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian border. This puts them in close proximity to recent Russian airstrikes on targets in western Ukraine – and could make them a target if NATO were to become involved in the war. Henry Ridgwell reports from Arlamów (ARLA-MOV) in Poland.]]
((NARRATOR))
Troops from the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division on the march in the forests of Arlamów in Poland’s Carpathian Mountains.
The contingent is part of a wider deployment of 5-thousand U.S. troops sent to Poland in recent weeks. That’s in addition to the 4-thousand American soldiers already in the country.
NATO is sending a message – that they will defend ‘every inch’ of alliance territory.
((Henry Ridgwell, VOA News))
“The Ukrainian border is just a few hundred meters down this track. And as thousands of American troops conduct exercises in these Polish forests, Russia has been conducting airstrikes on Ukrainian targets just over the frontier.”
((NARRATOR))
There are growing fears of an accidental engagement between the U.S. and Russia. A hotline has been set up to avoid that scenario.
But there are also fears that NATO troops in eastern Europe could be targeted in the event of escalation. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last month raised the alert level of his nuclear forces – in response to what he described as NATO’s “aggressive statements.”
((Constanze Stelzenmüller, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow))
“NATO still is saying that it will not intervene on Ukrainian territory, but increasingly Western weapons are flowing into Ukraine through NATO member states. And it is possible that Putin will, or in fact already sees such military support – which it has to be said on our side is not particularly controlled or accompanied by careful messaging – as NATO joining the fight. In other words, the discussion, to some degree, is now about whether Putin would be willing to use tactical nuclear weapons against NATO forces on NATO territory. That would be a new world.”
((NARRATOR))
The alliance must not let Putin get away with nuclear blackmail, says Fabrice Pothier, a former head of policy planning at NATO.
((Fabrice Pothier, International Institute for Strategic Studies Senior Fellow))
“What will stop Putin from doing the same next time, possibly including against a NATO ally?”
((NARRATOR))
NATO has repeatedly said it will not get directly involved in the conflict. Pothier says the alliance should do more.
((Fabrice Pothier, International Institute for Strategic Studies Senior Fellow))
“Are we fully aware of the danger of not doing anything? If I look at that recent history, actually the risk of standing on the sidelines and clamouring that we are covering the NATO allies’ backs but our mission stops at the NATO border, that risk I think is no longer acceptable.”
((NARRATOR))
Ukraine’s border with Poland has become the major gateway for refugees fleeing the conflict. But it is also becoming a key strategic frontier – a conduit for NATO weapons heading into Ukraine – and a potential future flashpoint.
((Henry Ridgwell, VOA News))
“For decades, Ukraine has acted as a buffer zone between NATO and Russia. But if the Kremlin’s forces seize all of Ukraine, there is little to separate NATO troops and Russian soldiers. There is no border fence here – just mountains and forests.”
((Henry Ridgwell, for VOA News, Arlamów, on the Polish-Ukraine border.)
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Arlamów, Poland
Embargo DateMarch 10, 2022 18:50 EST
BylineHenry Ridgwell
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
