Biden to beef up US military presence in Europe

SPAIN: U.S. President Joe Biden opened his three-day visit to a NATO summit Tuesday by pledging to beef up the American military presence in Europe as he denounced Russia’s Vladimir Putin for trying to “wipe out” Ukrainian culture in the ongoing war in eastern Europe.

Biden, in talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, detailed plans to increase the number of Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, from four to six. Biden said the move was one of multiple announcements that he and NATO allies would make during the summit to help bolster the alliance in the region.

Biden arrived in Spain for the summit amid an intense barrage of Russian fire across Ukraine— including a horrific missile attack on a shopping mall in Kyiv on Monday — and growing weariness over the grinding war that is battering the global economy.

“Sometimes I think Putin’s objective is just to literally change the entire culture — wipe out the culture of Ukraine (with) the kinds of actions he’s taking,” Biden said after meeting with Sánchez.

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the destroyers’ move “will help increase the United States’ and NATO’s maritime presence.” He said Biden would announce additional moves on Wednesday.

The US has been building up its presence since shortly before the Russian invasion in late February, adding about 20,000 troops to the 80,000 who were previously in Europe. And the U.S. has signaled that the Russian invasion will have reverberations on its and NATO allies’ defense posture for years to come.- JAPAN TODAY