President Biden announced that he had authorized additional forces to deploy to Germany and Poland.

“Our forces are not and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine. Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO allies,” he said in a White House address.

“The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power,” he continued. “The good news is, NATO is more united and determined than ever.”

The remarks followed an extraordinary meeting of NATO members and formal requests by officials in eight Eastern European and Baltic nations, including Poland and Estonia, to hold a security consultation under Article 4 of NATO’s 1949 founding treaty. The measure lets allies register their defense concerns in a way that stops short of a formal request for assistance after an attack.

"Our forces are not, and will not be engaged in the conflict with Russia in Ukraine," President Biden says.

"Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the east." pic.twitter.com/RQ18J3P0Pb

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 24, 2022