WASHINGTON, February 4. /TASS/. The first US reinforcement troops for Europe have arrived in Germany, Reuters reported, citing the US military’s European Command.

"Soldiers from the 18th Airborne Corps arrived in Wiesbaden today," the agency quoted a spokesperson for the command as saying. According to him, they will establish a headquarters in Germany "to support 1,700 paratroopers meant to deploy in Poland."

"These are the first of 2,000 soldiers to arrive in Europe following the Pentagon’s announcement of additional forces moving from the United States to Europe to support our NATO allies," the spokesperson added, according to Reuters.

On Wednesday, the US authorities announced plans to move about 1,000 troops from Germany to Romania and about 2,000 troops from the US to Germany and Poland. Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby stated that "these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine, they are going to ensure the robust defense of our NATO allies."

The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia’s potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded", serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.