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President Joe Biden will give an update regarding the conflict between Ukraine and Russia on Friday, just a day after he warned a Russian invasion could be imminent.
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been mounting and some western leaders believe there are indications a full-scale war between the two may come soon. While Russian officials have said they don't have plans to launch an attack, U.S. officials appear to be preparing for the conflict to escalate.
Biden will give an update on the situation in Ukraine at 4 p.m. ET on Friday. The president's remarks can be live-streamed on the White House's YouTube channel. It's also likely that other news outlets will carry the remarks, as well.
On Thursday, Biden said the threat of a Russian invasion is "very high" because they haven't moved "any of their troops out." Russia previously said that they started moving troops away from the border, but Biden said on Thursday that they've moved more troops into the area instead.
On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Michael Carpenter warned allies that Russia had amassed up to 190,000 personnel in and near Ukraine.
Biden also said that the United States believes Russia is engaged in a "false-flag operation." The prediction is that Russia will manufacture an attack to give Russian President Vladimir Putin a reason to have an "excuse to go in" and invade Ukraine.
"Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine," Biden said.
The president reiterated that his "sense" is that Russia will invade Ukraine "within the next several days. Several people have floated the belief that Russia will wait to make any serious moves until after the Olympics end and the Games are set to come to a close on February 20.
Despite the belief that Russia is able and willing to invade Ukraine, Biden said on Thursday that there is still a "clear diplomatic path" to resolving the issue.
On Friday, Russian separatist leaders called for an evacuation of people from their respective regions, encouraging people to cross the border into Russian territory to prevent "casualties." The leaders have accused Ukraine of preparing to invade, a claim Ukraine has denied. However, the separatists also appear to be preparing for escalating conflict and called for able-bodied men to prepare to defend the land.
Biden summarized Putin's response to his letter as insufficient and the American president warned Russia would face widespread, devastating economic sanctions if the Kremlin launches an attack.
About the writer
Jenni Fink is a senior editor at Newsweek, based in New York. She leads the National News team, reporting on ... Read more