U.S. army seeks to cement Trump's promise to stick by NATO

U.S. tanks, trucks and other military equipment, which arrived by ship, are unloaded in the harbour of Bremerhaven, Germany January 8, 2017. REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer

ZAGAN, Poland (Reuters) - The United States deployed thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry to Poland, the Baltic states and southeastern Europe on Monday in its biggest buildup since the Cold War, condemned by Russia as part of an aggressive strategy on its frontiers.

The deployment of a full armoured brigade, returning U.S. tanks to Europe for the first time since 2013, offers reassurance of U.S. support for east European allies alarmed by Moscow's military assertiveness towards Ukraine, in the south, and by Russian air, land and sea exercises in the Baltic region.