Biden says the US is moving troops to Eastern Europe and NATO countries in 'near term'

President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that the US will move to send troops to Eastern Europe and NATO countries in the region in the near future.

"I'll be moving US troops to Eastern Europe and the NATO countries in the near term — not a lot," Biden told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, Maryland.

The White House and Pentagon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Shortly before the president's comments, on Friday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be "horrific" and result in a "significant number of casualties," urging Russia to pursue a diplomatic path.

Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III instructed 8,500 troops to be on "high alert," for deployment to Eastern Europe, according to The New York Times.

During a call on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the US President to "calm down" and stressed that Biden had created "unwanted panic" in their talks about a potential war with neighboring Russia.

"I'm the president of Ukraine, and I'm based here, and I think I know the details better here," Zelensky told reporters on Friday.