LAST UPDATE: 23.09
A Russian invasion of Ukraine could occur on a day-to-day basis and would most likely begin with an air strike, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday. He noted that Russia now has enough forces to conduct a major military operation against Ukraine.
Sullivan told reporters at the White House that Americans still in Ukraine would have to leave within the next 48 hours because a Russian airstrike would make it difficult to leave.
He also said that US intelligence believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an invasion before the end of the Beijing Winter Olympics and that a rapid attack on the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, was possible.
It remains unclear, Sullivan said, whether Putin has given a definitive order to launch an invasion and added that he expects Biden to seek telephone contact with Putin soon about the crisis in Ukraine.
In the event of a Russian invasion, the United States and its allies are “ready to respond decisively” through a series of actions, including the imposition of “severe economic sanctions” and the relocation of NATO forces, Sullivan said.
“Whatever happens next, the West is more united than it has been for years,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan also noted that the Western allies are showing “remarkable unity” with Russia, commenting that if Moscow decides to invade Ukraine its influence will not increase, on the contrary it will decrease. “Whatever happens, the West is more united than it has been for years, NATO has strengthened,” he said.
U.S. President Joe Biden met with his national security adviser at the White House on Thursday night to discuss Russia’s continued military support for Ukraine, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
The source said rhetoric from Russia was hardening as Moscow sent six warships to the Black Sea and added more military equipment to Belarus, leading US officials to believe the crisis seemed to be reaching a critical juncture.
White House: US and its allies “support Ukraine’s national sovereignty”
The White House said in a statement earlier in the day that Biden and allied leaders had expressed concern about the concentration of Russian troops around Ukraine and their desire to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
The leaders “reiterated their support for Ukraine’s national sovereignty” after a telephone conversation today, according to the White House.
The video call was attended by the Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trinto, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the French President Emanuel Macron, the German Chancellor Olaf Soltz and Bretton Brezon, among others.
Russia: The West is spreading lies about a Russian plan to invade Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced late tonight that Western countries, with the help of the media, are spreading misinformation, suggesting that Moscow may be planning to invade Ukraine.
The ministry said in a statement posted on its website that Western countries were trying to divert attention from their own aggression.
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