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NATO’s chief said Wednesday there is no evidence that Russia is withdrawing its forces from the Ukraine border, but he added there is still a chance for a diplomatic solution. NATO leaders and defense ministers, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, are meeting in Brussels for talks as Russian troops surround much of Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more from Brussels.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptNATO – RUSSIA – UKRAINE (TV)
HEADLINE: NATO Preparing Eastern Defenses, Says Russia Continues Troop Buildup
TEASER:
PUBLISHED: 2/16/2022 AT 4:15pm
BYLINE: Carla Babb
WRITER:
DATELINE: Brussels
SCRIPT EDITORS: AP, MAS, DJONES
VIDEO: VOA, Reuters, DOD, see courtesies
PLATFORMS: WEB TV _X_ RADIO __ VIDEO APPROVED BY: Bowman TRT: 1:16
EDITOR NOTES:))
((ANCHOR))
[[NATO’s chief said Wednesday there is no evidence that Russia is withdrawing its forces from the Ukraine border, but he added there is still a chance for a diplomatic solution. NATO leaders and defense ministers, including U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, are meeting in Brussels for talks as Russian troops surround much of Ukraine. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb has more from Brussels.]]
((NARRATOR)) NATO defense ministers in Brussels planning the next steps amid heightened tensions with Russia over Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Wednesday urging action to match Russia’s words, after Russian leaders expressed a desire for diplomacy rather than war in Ukraine.
((Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General))
“This gives us grounds for cautious optimism. However, we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground.”
((NAT of Russian troops))
((Courtesy Russian Defense Ministry))
More than 150,000 Russian troops are deployed around Ukraine’s borders to the north, south and east, according to the United States. After months of strategically placing troops around Ukraine’s borders, Moscow said Tuesday it was pulling some of those troops back.
((NARRATOR))
But Stoltenberg said it appears the opposite is true.
((Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General))
“What we see is that they have increased the number of troops and more troops are on their way.”
((NARRATOR/Standup close))
((Carla Babb, VOA News (standup cversion)))
“NATO leaders stress they want diplomacy but must prepare for everything.
The U.S., U.K. and Germany have deployed troops on NATO’s eastern flank. And Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said more troops announcements could be coming.”
Carla Babb, VOA News, Brussels
NewsML Media TopicsConflict, War and Peace, Politics, Environment, Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 16, 2022 16:51 EST
BylineCarla Babb
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
