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Russia could invade Ukraine at any time, US says
Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, warned that Russian President Vladimir V. Putin could launch a full-scale attack on Ukraine before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics, but said Mr Putin has yet to make a final decision.
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“We are in the window where an invasion could begin at any moment should Vladimir Putin decide to order it. I won’t comment on the details of our intelligence information, but I want to be clear: it could start during the Olympics. We encourage all American citizens staying in Ukraine to leave immediately. We want to be crystal clear on this point. Every American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible and in any case within the next 24 to 48 hours. Of course, we cannot predict the future. We don’t know exactly what will happen, but the risk is now high enough and the threat now so imminent that caution is warranted. If you stay, you are taking a risk, with no guarantee that there will be another opportunity to leave, and there is – no prospect of US military evacuation in the event of a Russian invasion.” Reporter: “The United States believes that the President – excuse me – that President Putin made a decision because just recently PBS NewsHour reported that the United States believes Putin made a decision and communicated that decision to the Russian as well Military. Is that right?” “The report you just referred to, which I have not seen, does not accurately represent what the US government’s view is today. In our view, we do not believe he has made any final decision, or we do not know that he has made any final decision, and we have not shared this with anyone.”
President Biden on Saturday warned Vladimir V. Putin of Russia that an invasion of Ukraine would result in “quick and heavy” costs for Russia, diminish his country’s standing and cause “widespread human suffering,” as Western officials issued another diplomatic Advances were made to dissuade Mr Putin from pushing forward with an attack.
According to senior government officials, it remained unclear whether Mr Putin would invade. A senior national security official who briefed reporters shortly after the call said there was “no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding for several weeks now,” a confirmation that Mr Putin has continued to establish a military presence in the effectively surrounded Ukraine.
After the call, a senior administration official said the situation is as urgent as it was on Friday, when Jake Sullivan, the president’s national security adviser, warned Americans to leave the country in the coming days.
Noting that the Russians continued their military build-up even as Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin prepared to speak, the official underscored concern among US officials that Mr. Putin was in a position to initiate a major military incursion , even if it remains unclear whether this is the case would actually do it.
Officers discussed the call on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly.
The Russian government is expected to provide its assessment of the call soon.
The two leaders spoke just hours after the State Department ordered all but a “core team” of its diplomats and employees to evacuate the American embassy in Kiev amid fears Moscow would soon launch a major attack.
Amid urgent concerns in Washington over Russia’s growing military buildup around its smaller neighbor, the Pentagon said it would temporarily withdraw 160 American military trainers from the country where they had been working with Ukrainian troops near the Polish border.
Even as Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin spoke by phone — and after calls Saturday between top U.S. and Russian diplomats and between the countries’ defense ministers — the path to a diplomatic solution to the standoff seemed to narrow as numbers grew from Russian and from Russia-backed forces gathering around Ukraine on three sides.
US intelligence officials had believed Mr Putin was willing to wait until the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics before possibly ordering an offensive to avoid angering President Xi Jinping of China, a critical ally. But in recent days, they say, the timeline has started moving upwards, an acceleration Biden administration officials publicly acknowledged on Friday.
“We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border,” Sullivan told reporters on Friday, adding that an invasion could begin “during the Olympics,” which are scheduled to end on February 20 .
US officials do not know if Mr. Putin decided to invade, Mr. Sullivan stressed. “We’re ready either way,” he said. “Whatever happens next, the West is as united as it has been in years.”
Border with Russian units
Transnistria, a
Russian supported
breakaway region
from Moldova.
approximate line
Separation of Ukrainian and
Russian-backed troops nearby
two breakaway provinces.
border with
Russian units
annexed to Russia
the Crimea
peninsula off
Ukraine in 2014.
Transnistria, a
Russian supported
breakaway region
from Moldova.
approximate line
Separate Ukrainian
and supported by Russia
powers.
The United States has received information that Russia is discussing next Wednesday as a target date to begin military action, officials said, acknowledging the possibility that the mention of a specific date could be part of a Russian disinformation effort.
The Ukrainian government urged calm, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he had not seen any intelligence pointing to an imminent Russian attack and that “too much information” about a possible offensive was sowing unnecessary fear.
The United States has ruled out sending troops to defend Ukraine, but has increased its deployments to NATO member countries in Eastern Europe. The Pentagon announced on Friday that it had ordered 3,000 more soldiers to Poland.
The White House is keen to avoid a repeat of the chaotic evacuation of US Embassy staff from Kabul last August when Afghanistan fell to the Taliban. The United States and countries like Britain, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Latvia and the Netherlands have increasingly urged their citizens to leave Ukraine. On Saturday, KLM, the main Dutch airline, announced that it was suspending flights to Ukraine, citing the security situation.
A State Department official stressed Saturday that the US military will not evacuate American citizens from Ukraine the way troops in Afghanistan have been doing.
Russia has accused Western countries of spreading misinformation about its intentions. On Saturday, his foreign ministry said it was withdrawing some of its diplomatic staff from Ukraine because it “concludes that our American and British counterparts appear to be aware of certain military actions.”
