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Nato and US strengthen east European flank
By EUobserver
The US has put 8,500 soldiers on high alert for deployment to eastern Europe if Russia invades Ukraine, while Nato is already sending more ships and fighter jets to the area, in what Russia denounced as an escalation of tensions, Reuters reported. The EU Commission also offered Kyiv a €1.2bn "macro-financial" aid package of emergency loans and grants on Monday to help its economy withstand a potential shock.