[ti:NATO Sends Ships, Planes to Eastern Europe over Russian Buildup Near Ukraine]
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[00:00.04]NATO members plan to send more ships
[00:04.24]and fighter jets to Eastern Europe
[00:08.16]following Russia's military buildup along its border with Ukraine.
[00:15.92]The military alliance said Monday that additional troops and equipment
[00:23.16]would be provided by several nations, including the United States,
[00:29.72]Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands.
[00:35.84]In a statement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
[00:42.12]welcomed the deployments.
[00:44.72]He said the alliance planned to "continue
[00:49.28]to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies,
[00:56.44]including by reinforcing the eastern part of the alliance."
[01:02.64]Stoltenberg added: "We will always respond
[01:07.56]to any deterioration of our security environment,
[01:12.92]including through strengthening our collective defense."
[01:18.44]Russia has deployed an estimated 100,000 troops
[01:24.44]just across its border with Ukraine.
[01:29.04]U.S. and NATO officials have expressed concern
[01:34.12]that the military buildup could lead to a Russian invasion.
[01:40.28]Russia denies it is planning to invade Ukraine.
[01:45.52]Russian officials have said the country's military buildup
[01:51.24]serves as a defensive measure
[01:54.16]against possible military actions by NATO and Ukraine.
[02:01.12]Russia is demanding that NATO promise
[02:05.28]it will never permit Ukraine to join the military alliance.
[02:10.96]It has also sought guarantees
[02:14.76]against further NATO expansion in Eastern Europe.
[02:20.80]Diplomatic talks in recent days aimed at reducing tensions
[02:26.72]failed to produce any agreements.
[02:30.64]NATO said Monday it was strengthening
[02:34.48]its "deterrence" abilities in the Baltic Sea area.
[02:40.44]Denmark planned to send a warship
[02:43.96]and F-16 fighter planes to Lithuania.
[02:48.68]Spain was sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria
[02:53.84]and three ships to the Black Sea to join NATO naval forces.
[03:00.76]France said it was prepared to send troops to Romania.
[03:07.36]Some NATO countries close to Russia – Estonia,
[03:12.28]Latvia and Lithuania – have confirmed plans
[03:17.44]to send U.S.-made anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles to Ukraine.
[03:26.00]Russian government spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed recent moves
[03:32.68]by NATO and the United States for increasing tensions.
[03:39.36]"All this is happening not because of what we, Russia, are doing.
[03:46.24]This is happening because of what NATO
[03:50.32]and the U.S. are doing," he told reporters.
[03:55.40]The United States and Britain
[03:58.76]announced orders for their embassy workers
[04:02.32]and family members in Kyiv to leave Ukraine.
[04:07.56]They said the orders were issued
[04:11.24]because of the threat of possible Russian military action.
[04:16.88]NATO's announcement came as European Union foreign ministers
[04:22.88]sought to show a united front in support of Ukraine.
[04:28.24]In a statement, the ministers said the EU was already working
[04:35.16]to prepare possible sanctions against Russia.
[04:39.32]They warned that "any further military aggression by Russia
[04:45.04]against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs."
[04:53.80]Separately, the EU also promised
[04:57.60]to increase financial support for Ukraine.
[05:02.28]It said it plans to approve $1.4 billion
[05:08.16]in loans and grants to the country as soon as possible.
[05:14.04]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问21VOA.COM