U.S. weighs more troops to eastern Europe beyond 8,500 on alert

A 436th Aerial Port Squadron ramp services Airman stages a cargo loader with palletised ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, U.S., January 24, 2022. U.S. Air Force photo/Roland Balik/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Monday it is in active discussions with Eastern European allies about possible U.S. troop deployments to NATO's eastern flank, as Washington moves to reassure jittery NATO allies in the face of a Russian military buildup near Ukraine.

Any decisions on new troop movements would be separate from the some 8,500 forces in the United States who were put on alert last week to potentially bolster a NATO rapid response force, the Pentagon said, adding context to President Joe Biden's comments on Friday about potential near-term deployments to Eastern Europe.