The Pentagon is sending six navy attack planes and 240 troops to Germany, the latest Biden administration effort to warn President Vladimir Putin that the tough fight he is facing against Ukraine is nothing compared to the fight he would face should he strike a Nato country.

Defence officials said that the EA-18G Growlers — electronic warfare planes that pave the way for stealth attacks by jamming enemy air defences — are not meant to be used against Russia in Ukraine.

“They are not being sent because of some sort of acute threat that was perceived or some specific incident that happened,” the Pentagon press secretary, John F. Kirby, told reporters during a news conference on Monday.

But, he added that defence secretary Lloyd J. Austin III “wants to keep options open”.

The planes are the latest move in the administration’s steady escalation of troops and resources to Europe.