New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Friday (local time) reiterated that Russia is planning to attack Ukraine in the coming days and warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that he will be responsible for a ‘catastrophic and needless war of choice’.
While speaking on the current Russia-Ukraine situation, Biden said, “We’re calling out Russia’s plans ‘loudly and repeatedly’, not because we want a conflict, but because we’re doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.”
“You know, look, we have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week — in the coming days. We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people,” he said.
Watch live as I give an update on our continued efforts to pursue deterrence and diplomacy – and an update on Russia’s buildup of military troops on the border of Ukraine. https://t.co/Xt6EQUNltF
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2022
Biden said that Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and said “as of this moment, I am convinced that he has made the decision”.
Ukraine has refused to allow Russia to bait them into war
Joe Biden stated that the Russian troops currently have Ukraine surrounded — from Belarus, along the Russian border with Ukraine, to the Black Sea in the south — and all of its border.
The fact remains: Russian troops currently have Ukraine surrounded from Belarus to the Black Sea in the south — and along Ukraine’s borders.
We have reason to believe Russian forces are planning and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming days.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2022
He also praised Ukraine for not allowing Russia to bait them into war.
“Throughout these tense moments, the Ukrainian forces have shown great judgment and, I might add, restraint. They’ve refused to allow the Russians to bait them into war,” the US President said.
Russia can still choose diplomacy
Joe Biden said that if Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a ‘catastrophic and needless war of choice’.
“The United States and our Allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security as well,” he said.
Biden repeated that Vladimir Putin can still choose diplomacy and that it is not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.
I say again: Russia can still choose diplomacy.
It’s not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2022
He said that Russia has agreed that US Secretary of State Blinken and Russia Foreign Minister Viktorovich Lavrov would meet on February 24.
“But if Russia takes military action before that date, it will be clear that they have slammed the door shut on diplomacy. They will have — they will have chosen war, and they will pay a steep price for doing so — not only from the sanctions that we and our allies will impose on Russia, but the moral outrage that the rest of the world will visit upon them,” Biden warned Putin.
The American people are united. Europe is united. The Transatlantic community is united. The entire free world is united.
Russia has a choice — between war and all the suffering that it will bring — or diplomacy that will make the future safer for everyone.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2022
It is noteworthy that in one of the worst post-Cold War crises, Moscow wants to stop Kyiv from joining NATO and accuses the West of hysteria, saying it has no plans to invade, while the United States and allies are adamant the military build-up continues.
While Russia has released footage to show it is withdrawing troops from the border, the United States believes that there has been a ramp-up to between 1,69,000-1,90,000 troops, from 1,00,000 at the end of January.
New helicopters and a battle group deployment of tanks, armored personnel carriers and support equipment have deployed in Russia, near the border, according to US-based Maxar Technologies, which tracks developments with satellite imagery.
(With agency inputs)
