US warnings of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine have escalated, as the administration of US President Joe Biden warned on Friday that the Russian military invasion of Ukraine is imminent, and may occur before the end of the Winter Olympics on February 20, while US Secretary of State Anthony warned Blinken warned that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin at any time.
President Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, told reporters that the Russian invasion could begin "any day from now."
The American newspaper "The Hill" published a report that sheds light on the most important indicators that indicate the approaching Russian invasion, which we summarize in the following:
America asks its citizens to leave
In light of talk of a possible war, US President Joe Biden urged American citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, warning that the risk of war has become too great to risk staying.
National Security Adviser to President Biden, Jake Sullivan, confirmed these warnings in a statement to the media, in which he said that the invasion could begin "any day from now," noting that it would be wise for American citizens to leave Ukraine because the risk of war is high.
Sullivan said that those who decide to stay in Ukraine may not have another opportunity to leave, denying the possibility of providing a US military evacuation for them when the war breaks out.
The US State Department had ordered most of the essential American employees at its embassy in Kiev to leave, and also called for not traveling to Ukraine, Crimea and Donetsk due to the increasing Russian threats.
The US State Department stated that it will suspend consular services at its embassy, starting on February 13.
Expectations of a Russian invasion before February 20
The "The Hill" report indicated that the appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Beijing on February 2, and what they showed of the unity between the two countries is an indication that the Russian leader may not invade Ukraine during the two-week Olympics.
But some US officials believe that these analyzes do not depend on a solid basis. US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that there is a high probability that Russia will invade Ukraine before the end of the Olympic Games in China, which concludes on the 20th of this month. , While more countries in the world demanded their nationals and diplomats to leave Ukraine immediately in anticipation of the outbreak of war.
And the US National Security Adviser Sullivan said, in a press conference at the White House, that a Russian attack on Ukraine could happen any day starting from now, and it would most likely start with an air attack, and he talked about the great possibilities that the Russian invasion would include major cities in Ukraine, including the capital. Kiev.
Sullivan added that any Americans still in Ukraine should leave within 24 to 48 hours as long as there are options available, because a Russian air attack would make it difficult to leave.
Did Putin decide to invade Ukraine?
The US newspaper report quoted Sullivan as saying that although the United States was prepared for a possible Russian invasion that could occur at any time, the assessments made by the US administration did not indicate whether the Russian president had made a final decision to invade Ukraine.
Sullivan said his administration could not be certain that "President Putin has made a final decision (to invade)," adding, "What we are saying is that we have a sufficient level of concern, based on what we see on the ground and what our intelligence analysts have found."
The "The Hill" report indicated that despite successive US warnings, some experts doubt Russia's launch of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, given the high economic and military costs that Moscow will incur as a result.
Will Russia invade Kiev?
Regarding the scenario of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sullivan stated that US intelligence cannot precisely predict the scenario of a Russian invasion, but warned that its targeting of the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, is a possibility.
"We've made it clear that an invasion can take different forms, but I want to make it clear that one of those forms could be a quick attack on the capital, Kiev," Sullivan told reporters.
And the "The Hill" report indicated that the attack on Kiev, which has an estimated population of 3 million and is the most populous city in Ukraine and where the seat of the Ukrainian government is located, could be devastating for Ukraine.
Biden continues to coordinate with allies
The Hill indicated that President Biden and his administration officials have intensified their diplomatic efforts related to the Russian-Ukrainian crisis over the past weeks, and those efforts and talks are expected to continue until the end of this week.
She also indicated that Biden held calls with leaders of several countries, including Canada, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy and Romania, last Friday, in this regard.
And a statement issued by the White House on Biden's contacts with the leaders of the aforementioned countries stated that "the leaders agreed on the importance of coordinating efforts to prevent Russia from carrying out further aggression against Ukraine," and in this context expressed their readiness to impose tough economic sanctions on Russia if it chose military escalation, They also emphasized the continued strengthening of defenses on the eastern front of NATO.
The newspaper quoted Sullivan as saying that President Biden, who is spending the weekend at Camp David, is likely to have a phone call with his counterpart Putin, but White House officials did not reveal the exact timing of that call.