U.S. Aays 'All Options' Are On The Table As Russia-Ukraine Tensions Rise

Troops transport trucks on a pontoon bridge across a river during joint military exercises held by Russia and Belarus in September.

Reuters: U.S. says 'all options' on the table over Russian troop build-up near Ukraine

WASHINGTON, Nov 26 (Reuters) - All options are on the table in how to respond to Russia's 'large and unusual' troop build-up near Ukraine's border, and the NATO alliance will decide what the next move will be following consultations next week, the State Department's top U.S. diplomat for European affairs said on Friday.

"As you can appreciate, all options are on the table and there's a toolkit that includes a whole range of options," Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried told reporters in a telephone briefing.

"It's now for the alliance to decide what are the next moves that NATO wants to take," she said, speaking ahead of a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Latvia and Sweden next week to attend NATO and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) meetings, where she said Moscow's "large and unusual" troop build up would be topping the agenda.

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Update #1: US Preparing for Multiple Contingencies as Russia-Ukraine Tensions Rise (VOA)

Update #2: How Far Would Biden Go to Defend Ukraine Against Russia? (Chronicle 42 News/NYT)

WNU Editor: Here is a good read .... What's Behind The Russia-Ukraine War Fears -- And What Might Actually Happen? (RFE).