Russia has criticised the US decision to deploy a further 2,000 troops in Central and Eastern Europe, calling the move “destructive” and “unjustified”.

The Pentagon announced on Wednesday a decision to send the troops from Fort Bragg in North Carolina to Germany and Poland, but spokesperson John Kirkby insisted that the move was not an escalation. “I want to be very clear about something: these are not permanent moves... Moreover, these forces are not going to fight in Ukraine. They are going to ensure the robust defence of our Nato allies," Kirby said.

Moscow does not see it that way, though, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko slammed the deployment as “destructive”, pointing out that it would only increase tensions while also signalling to Ukraine that it could continue to break the Minsk Agreement “with impunity”.

The Minsk Agreements, governing the fragile peace on the Ukrainian border, state that Ukraine must restore economic ties with Russia-backed separatist regions in the east of the country, and must continue dialogue on the potential for constitutional reform with representatives from the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. When Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitriy Kuleba insisted that the Donbas region would be not be given a special status as Russia had demanded, Moscow decried this as a breach of the Minsk Agreements.

Yet while Biden’s decision to deploy more troops is certainly a sign of growing tensions, it’s likely born of the desire to look assertive while also not stepping on Russia’s toes too much. Neither Poland nor Germany border Russia directly (with the exception of Russia’s European exclave Kaliningrad), and the number of troops sent indicates that this action is intended to be more symbolic than a genuine threat. Whether it will be received that way in Russia is another question.

Meanwhile, diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis continue apace. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone yesterday, and stressed the need to find a diplomatic solution.

“Any further incursion into Ukrainian territory would be a tragic miscalculation. Dialogue and diplomacy is the only way forward,” said Johnson in a tweet.

In an effort to highlight the West’s solidarity over the crisis, Presidents Biden and Macron "affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said in a statement.