Ukraine war: US deploys 6 Navy aircraft to bolster NATO defences

The US Pentagon says it is deploying six Navy aircraft that specialise in electronic warfare and about 240 Navy personnel to bolster NATO defenses in Eastern Europe.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby says the EA-18G Growler aircraft based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state were scheduled to arrive Monday at Spangdahlem air base in Germany, where they will be stationed.

They are not intended for use in Ukraine, he said.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. intelligence assessments, said there has been little change in the situation on the ground in Ukraine.

The senior defense official said Russian forces largely remain in defensive positions in the area of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and they are making little forward progress elsewhere in the country.

The official said the U.S. believes Ukrainian troops have retaken the town of Trostyanets, south of Sumy, in eastern Ukraine.

The official said the U.S. continues to see Russia prioritizing operations in the Donbas region and de-emphasising ground operations in the Kyiv area, but the Pentagon believes it's too early to know whether this reflects a change in Moscow's strategic goals.