UAF exercises in the Kherson region (Photo: Ukrainian Armed Forces Press Service/Handout via REUTERS)
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US President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan urged Americans in Ukraine to leave the country within one to two days, reports CNN.
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“Any US citizen in Ukraine should leave the country as soon as possible and in any case within the next 24-48 hours,” Sullivan said.
He stressed that Washington cannot be completely sure that a Russian invasion will occur and it is unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to start a war against Ukraine.
“I want to be very clear. The final decision has not yet been made by President Putin, but we have a sufficient level of concern,” he said.
Sullivan also spoke about what a Russian invasion of Ukraine might look like.
“If the Russian attack on Ukraine continues, it will likely begin with aerial bombardments and rocket attacks, which obviously can kill civilians regardless of their nationality. The subsequent ground invasion, obviously, will be associated with the onset of large forces, ”he stressed.
Earlier on February 11, US President Joe Biden urged Americans to leave Ukraine immediately.
“The Americans must leave now. We are not dealing with a terrorist organization. We are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a completely different situation and things can go crazy fast,” he said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said that the appeal of US President Joe Biden to the Americans does not indicate a radical change in the situation.
The threat of a large-scale invasion of the Russian Federation
Russia has been pulling troops to the Ukrainian borders since the end of October 2021. According to Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, as of February 7, along the borders of Ukraine from Russia, Belarus and ORDLO there are a total of 140 thousand military.
The US State Department believes that the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin may decide to invade Ukraine until mid February. According to Western media, Russia completed «final preparations for the invasion».
At the same time, NSDC Secretary Aleksey Danilov stated that Ukrainian authorities do not see a direct threat of Russian invasion. According to him, full intrusion is physically impossible and there is no reason to panic.
The situation along the eastern Ukrainian border is causing concern among US and European officials. According to US President Joe Biden, The White House is preparing a set of tough measures to prevent a new Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claims that Russia is not interested in war, but will not allow its own interests to be neglected. «security interests.” The Kremlin demands guarantees from the United States and NATO that Ukraine will not join the Alliance and states that the transfer of troops is an internal affair of the Russian Federation.
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