JUST IN: Biden Says He Will Send U.S. Troops to Eastern Europe in the ‘Near Term’

President Joe Biden announced Friday afternoon he will send a number of U.S. troops to Eastern Europe in the “near term” amid tensions in the region between Russia and Ukraine.

“I’ll be moving troops to eastern Europe and the NATO countries in the near term,” Biden said at Joint Base Andrew after his trip to Pennsylvania, The Hill reported.

Asked how many soldiers he intended to station in the region, Biden responded, “Not too many.”

President Biden said Friday he plans to send a small number of U.S. forces to eastern Europe in the “near term” amid growing fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. #russia #ukraine #usa pic.twitter.com/cbPuFJW5ni

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There are a reported 120,000 Russian troops camped out along the Ukrainian border, leading to fears of a possible invasion of Ukraine that could escalate into a full-scale war.

The New York Times reported earlier this week that Biden was weighing a decision to potentially send troops to the region:

In a meeting on Saturday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, senior Pentagon officials presented Mr. Biden with several options that would shift American military assets much closer to Mr. Putin’s doorstep, the administration officials said. The options include sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries, with the potential to increase that number tenfold if things deteriorate.

Last week, the U.S. State Department asked all American diplomats to leave the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

This story is developing.