President Biden said late Friday that the US “called out” Russia’s efforts to paint Ukraine as the aggressor in a bid to stop the Kremlin from justifying an invasion.
“We’re calling out Russia’s plans. Not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything in our power to remove any reason Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine,” the president tweeted.
“If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice.”
At a press conference earlier in the day, Biden denounced Russia for pushing “fabricated claims” that a Ukrainian invasion of two Moscow-backed separatist enclaves was imminent.
He also ripped Russian state media for making “phony allegations” that Ukraine was carrying out a “genocide” in the country’s east and praised Kyiv’s forces for acting with “great judgment and, I might add, restraint” in refusing to allow Russia to “bait them into war.”
“We’re calling out Russia’s plans loudly and repeatedly, not because we want a conflict,” the president said, “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.”
Speaking from the White House Roosevelt Room, Biden said he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin would order his troops to invade Ukraine within days — predicted a massive military operation that could target Kyiv.
Biden said he believes that Putin has already made up his mind to invade with as many as 190,000 Russian troops estimated to have assembled along the border.
The president has emphasized that the administration believes Russia may use a false flag operation as pretext to invade.
“It defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its border, to escalate the years-long conflict,” said Biden, who praised Ukraine’s military for acting with what he called “great judgment and, I might add, restraint” for refusing to allow Russia to “bait them into war.”
Shelling continued for a second day on Friday in the disputed eastern region of Ukraine, where nearly 600 explosions were recorded, a diplomatic source told Reuters.
The source said this is the worst fighting in the region since a ceasefire was declared in 2015.
Vice President Kamala Harris met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and other world leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday where she said diplomacy is still on the table, but warned of “severe consequences” for Russia if it chooses to invade.
On Friday, the United Kingdom revealed it has intelligence exposing “Russian plans to engineer a pretext for the invasion of Ukraine.” Officials said the most likely scenario would include an attack on civilians that Russia would blame on the Ukrainian military or terrorists.
“We know the Russian Government’s playbook. Do not be deceived,” the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office tweeted. “We call on Russia to de-escalate, and to engage in meaningful talks. #StandWithUkraine”
Comments