UKRAINE (Washington Insider Magazine) – While Russia’s defense ministry stated Tuesday that some personnel will retreat from Ukraine’s borders after finishing military exercises, President Joe Biden said in a speech to the country that the US had yet to witness that.
Russian forces, on the other hand, are advancing closer to the frontline, reportedly with medical supplies, and are being placed in shooting positions, sources told ABC News.
According to the sources, the US believes Russia now has all of the essential components in place, notably 150,000 troops in the entire region, to conduct a rapid and violent invasion of Ukraine, which is why Biden administration officers have openly stated that Russia may act “at any time.”
According to ABC News, Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed his armed troops to be prepared to go by February 16, although it is uncertain whether he has decided to launch an attack on his neighbor.
The Russian administration has rejected any preparations to attack Ukraine and has blamed the United States of “hysteria” for issuing these increasingly urgent threats.
According to the sources, the US claims an invasion would start with cyberwarfare and airstrikes against key infrastructure, followed by special forces units entering Kyiv to dismember the Ukrainian government and resupply troops approaching from Belarus, with plans to finish their operations in 24 to 72 hours.
Biden stated that Russian forces “remain very much in a threatening position” during his speech Tuesday, stressing that an attack is still “distinctly possible” and would result in an “enormous” number of casualties.
However, Biden stated that the US would welcome Russia withdrawing its soldiers and participating in diplomatic negotiations with the US and NATO on matters such as weapons control and military drill transparency.
While Lavrov stated that Russia’s answer to those ideas will be sent in the coming days, Putin stated that Russia’s major demands were being disregarded, including the exclusion of Ukraine from NATO and the withdrawal of NATO soldiers from Eastern European union member states.
These are nonstarters, according to the US and NATO, matters that can only be decided by the alliance or individual members, not by Russian coercion.
Biden and Putin spoke for the first time in over a month on Saturday, and their senior diplomats, Antony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov have spoken thrice in recent days. While both parties have stated that the door to further negotiation remains open, there are worries that Russia may resort to war while negotiating.
