According to US media, the US is considering sending up to 5,000 soldiers to NATO partners in the Baltic and Eastern Europe as fears grow that Russia may attack Ukraine.
According to the New York Times, the deployment might include 1,000 to 5,000 troops, as well as naval vessels and aircraft.
It warned that if conditions worsened, the figure may skyrocket.
According to CNN, the Pentagon is determining which forces will be deployed, but no final decision has been made.
The idea arose from conversations on the Ukraine issue over the weekend between US President Joe Biden and his aides, notably Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
NATO announced on Monday that it was sending fighter planes and ships to shore up its eastern European frontier. The US, UK, and Australia have ordered ambassadors’ families to leave Kyiv.
The actions came after negotiations last week between Russia and the US-European side failed to produce a substantial breakthrough.
Russia has an estimated 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and is seeking guarantees that the nation would not be allowed to join NATO, as Kyiv has repeatedly requested.
The US and NATO allies have warned Moscow that if it invades Ukraine, it would face harsh sanctions and other moves that will inflict “serious” harm to the Russian economy.