US President Joe Biden has accused Moscow of creating a pretext to invade Ukraine “in the coming days,” as he addressed the media on Friday night, following a call with NATO allies about the crisis.
“Over the past few days, we’ve seen reports of a massive increase in ceasefire violations by Russian-backed fighters trying to provoke Ukraine,” Biden said.
The US leader reiterated predictions of a looming Russian invasion, saying an assault is imminent following weeks of similar forecasts.
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“We have reason to believe that Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week — in the coming days,” Biden told journalists.
We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital Kiev
Pressed about what evidence the White House might have about Moscow’s decision-making, Biden declined to elaborate, saying only that “We have a significant intelligence capability.”
While the president repeated warnings against a Russian attack, he noted that the United States “will not send troops to fight in Ukraine,” but rather “will continue to support the Ukrainian people,” citing hundreds of millions in lethal military aid provided to Kiev in recent months.
Nonetheless, he added that the NATO alliance would defend its own territory.
“Make no mistake, if Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice,” Biden went on. “The United States and our allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security.”
The US commander-in-chief again accused Moscow of seeking “a false justification to act against Ukraine” – in line with previous charges that it would conduct a “false flag” attack to be blamed on Kiev – while praising the Ukrainian forces for “refusing to allow the Russians to bait them into war.”