White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that Russia is seeking to use a “fabricated pretext” as an excuse to launch an invasion of Ukraine, citing Russian actors who have spread false claims in recent days.
“An attack could come at any time,” she told reporters traveling with President Joe Biden to Ohio. “We believe it’s important that the world be watching for that pretext and that people treat any such claims with the appropriate skepticism, especially when they come from Russian state media sources.”
Jean-Pierre accused the Russians of covering its attacks with “confusion and obfuscation” and told the public to be cautious of “false pretexts,” including a provocation in Donbas, claims of NATO troop movements, and “an incursion into Russian territory.”
She also claimed Russia has spread “categorically false” claims in recent days, “including reports of an unmarked grave of civilians allegedly killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, statements that Ukraine is committing genocide in eastern Ukraine, that the U.S. and Ukraine are developing biological or chemical weapons and that the West is funneling in guerrillas to kill locals.”
Departing the White House Thursday morning, Biden told reporters there is a “high” likelihood of a Russian invasion in the coming days but still claimed a diplomatic path toward de-escalation was possible.
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You can listen to Thursday’s entire gaggle below.
