Russia continues to maintain a large force near the Ukrainian border, and the US sent a plane to fly over it this week in hopes that Russia will not move to take military action against its neighbor.
A US European Command official told CNN that the US Air Force flew an E-8C JSTARS aircraft on Monday to gather intelligence over the eastern part of the country.
Details of the intelligence gathered during the flight, which was carried out with Ukraine's permission, are unclear. The EUCOM spokesman told CNN that US flights in that part of the world support various US and coalition intelligence objectives.
The E-8C JSTARS aircraft are military versions of the Boeing 707-300 and can provide battle management, command and control, and intelligence.
According to the Air Force, the plane's long, side-looking phased array antenna in the radome offers a 120-degree field of view and can gather information on ground forces across 20,000 square miles. CNN noted that an E-8C could be used to observe military activities on both sides of the country's border with Russia.
Russia announced over the weekend that it was withdrawing around 10,000 troops from the area. Russia is believed to still have a military presence in the area.
The Washington Post reported in December that there was a Russian military build up near Ukraine that was between 70,000 and 94,000. Military Times was told by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense that there were as many as 120,000 Russian troops in the area.
Satellite images taken over the past couple of months show a number of Russian tactical battle groups, as well as military vehicles and other equipment at locations near Ukraine.
Russia has denied any plans to take aggressive military action against Ukraine, but these denials have done little to alleviate concerns.
An official in the Biden administration shared intelligence with multiple news outlets that stated that the Russian plans call for a military offensive against Ukraine as early as early 2022.
The US has warned of consequences if Russia invades Ukraine, including serious economic and financial penalties.
Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, ordered the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group to remain in the Mediterranean in order to assure US allies and partners in Europe.
The warships are expected to stay in the area throughout the talks between the US and Russia and between NATO and Russia.
On Monday, the annual defense spending bill was signed by the President, and on Wednesday, it was announced that Biden will have another phone call with Putin on Thursday to discuss a range of topics.
Both leaders believe that there is genuine value in direct leader-to- leader engagement, that we are at a moment of crisis, and that it will take a high level of engagement to address this and to try to find a solution.
The senior official said that since Biden and Putin last spoke, they were gravely concerned about the nature of the Russian troop presence there.
