Gen. Philip Breedlove who is both NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and the head of the U.S. military's European Command was sent back to Europe prematurely from Washington amid growing tensions in the Ukraine, a Pentagon official said Sunday. Breedlove was slated to give his annual testimony before Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel decided Friday to send him back to Europe, a Pentagon spokesman told NBC News. Hagel considered the decision a “prudent” one since Russian leadership has been cryptic about their intentions of military movements across the Ukrainian border, the spokesman said. The announcement came as Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Paris to discuss ways to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
