Pentagon: Putin keeps adding to his ‘menu of options’

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Belgium, Poland and Lithuania this week, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said during a press briefing at the Pentagon on Monday.

In Belgium, Austin will participate in the NATO Defense Ministerial where he will “discuss Russia’s military buildup in and around Ukraine,” with the other defense ministers of NATO, Kirby said.

“He’ll meet with allied and defense ministers across NATO leadership in the defense ministerial, obviously to discuss Russia’s military buildup in and around Ukraine,” Kirby said. 

The secretary will meet with “senior military and government leaders in Belgium, Poland and Lithuania” during his trip, Kirby added

In Poland, Austin will meet with the Polish President and Minister of National Defense. He will also meet with Polish and US troops while there. In Lithuania, Austin will meet with the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Defense, and he will meet with “some US service members” based there. “

Separately, during his time in Latvia, Austin plans to meet jointly with his counterparts from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, Kirby said. The trip comes as tensions between Ukraine and Russia remain high.

There are now an estimated 130,000 or more Russian forces on the Ukraine border, according to two sources familiar with recent assessments.