U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he believes Russian leader Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and that the attack could begin "in the coming days."
"As of this moment, I'm convinced he's made the decision. We have reason to believe that," Biden said, adding that Washington has "significant intelligence capability" to back the claim.
"We believe they will target Ukraine's capital Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people," he said of Russian forces.
But with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken scheduled to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, Biden said there is still time for negotiations to defuse the crisis.
"Diplomacy is always a possibility," he said.
Biden said Moscow is conducting a disinformation campaign, including accusing Kyiv of planning its own attack in order to create a pretext for a Russian invasion.
"There is simply no evidence to these assertions and it defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 [Russian] troops arrayed on its borders, to escalate a years-long conflict," Biden said.
"All these are consistent with the playbook the Russians have used before to set up a false justification to act against Ukraine," Biden said at the White House.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
