Russia has appeared to be on the precipice of invading Ukraine for months after amassing a significant troop presence on the border despite the United States and other European countries hoping the standoff could be resolved through diplomacy.
Various U.S. officials have spoken to their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts in recent days, though the results are unclear. Over the weekend, President Joe Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin to warn the U.S. would “impose swift and severe costs on Russia” if they invaded. However, a senior administration official told reporters afterward that “there was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding now for several weeks.”
Additionally, Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and “reaffirmed the commitment of the United States to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley also spoke with their Russian counterparts since Friday.
US TROOPS PREPARING TO HELP AMERICANS FLEEING UKRAINE SHOULD RUSSIA INVADE
Russia could launch an invasion as soon as Wednesday, according to numerous outlets citing intelligence reports, though officials have neither confirmed nor denied it. Even without confirmation, the administration’s latest warnings and updates appear to demonstrate a heightened level of concern.
“We are told that February 16 will be the day of attack,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Monday. “We will make it a union day. The decree has already been signed. This afternoon we will hang national flags, put on blue-yellow ribbons and show the world our unity.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan, among other administration officials, urged Americans in Ukraine to leave within “24 to 48 hours” on Friday due to no guarantee that commercial travel would be operable during a war. A senior State Department official told reporters on a call on Saturday that it was “past time for” Americans to leave.
An invasion would include “aerial bombings and missile attacks that could obviously kill civilians without regard to their nationality,” leading to “a subsequent ground invasion” that would “involve the onslaught of a massive force,” Sullivan added.
The administration has warned for weeks that Russia could launch a “false flag operation” to create a reason to justify military force.
Biden has deployed roughly 6,000 troops to Europe, half of which were given their orders last Friday. In addition to those troops deployed to Poland, Germany, and Romania, roughly 8,500 troops are on “heightened alert” for a deployment should NATO call up their forces.
The president affirmed late last week that U.S. troops would not go into Ukraine to fight Russian forces should an invasion happen nor would they help Americans leave the country from within. Instead, the military could help evacuate Americans once they cross into Poland.
Also on Friday, the State Department issued an evacuation order for the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv “due to the continued threat of Russia military action,” a statement reads. Only a skeleton crew will stay to handle emergencies in Lviv.
A senior State Department official told reporters over the weekend that “it appears increasingly likely” the situation will become an “active conflict,” so they are “reducing our staff to a bare minimum while we still have the ability to get our official people out safely.”
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who spoke with Blinken over the weekend, told Putin in remarks carried on state television that there’s “always a chance” of diplomacy to prevent further conflict, according to CNN. Despite the possibility of diplomacy, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said the military’s troop buildup at the border is “well over 100,000.” with “even more” added over “the last few days” on Fox News Sunday.
Austin ordered the roughly 160 Florida National Guardsmen currently operating in Ukraine in an advisory capacity to leave on Saturday.
