Crisis in Ukraine: according to Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine
United States: President Biden spoke on Friday February 18 about the crisis in Ukraine.
"At the current stage, I am convinced that (Vladimir Putin) has made the decision" to attack Ukraine, Joe Biden told reporters in Washington, citing reports from US intelligence services.
REUTERS - KEVIN LAMARQUE
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are growing as incidents escalate in the east of the country and Russian troops appear to be increasing in number at the borders.
Joe Biden intervened on Friday to denounce the Russian plans.
The American president changes his speech.
He thinks his Russian counterpart made the decision to invade Ukraine.
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with our correspondent in Washington,
Guillaume Naudin
This is the first time that Joe Biden has made such comments.
Until now and for several weeks, the American president said that he thought that Vladimir Putin had not yet decided to invade Ukraine.
Now he believes it, by virtue of the information at his disposal, and which he has chosen to make public in large part to expose the Russian plan and to deprive Russia of pretexts to intervene militarily.
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We have reason to believe that Russian forces are planning and intending to attack Ukraine within the next week, within the next few days.
We believe they will target the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, a city of 2,800,000 innocent people.
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Ukraine: the great game of diplomatic chess continues
For Joe Biden, Russia will target the capital Kiev and will attract international disapproval.
The US president was speaking after a virtual meeting with several European leaders.
He explains that the West and even the free world are both united and determined to continue helping the Ukrainian people.
There will be no US or NATO soldiers in Ukraine, but if Russia invades Ukraine, it will pay a high price in sanctions.
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We denounce Russian plans loudly and relentlessly, not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything possible to deprive the Russians of any pretext to justify an invasion of Ukraine and to prevent them from acting.
Make no mistake about it: If Russia carries out its plan, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and useless war of its own choosing.
The United States and its allies stand ready to defend every inch of NATO territory and also our collective security against any threat.
We will not send troops to fight in Ukraine, but we will continue to support the Ukrainian people
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What room for negotiation is there?
There is still room for negotiation, at least that is what the American president claims and wants to believe.
He believes that as long as there has been no invasion, there is still room for diplomacy.
He also explains that the two heads of Russian and American diplomacy, Sergei Lavrov and Anthony Blinken have planned to meet next week, on February 24, in Europe.
But if a Russian military intervention takes place by then, it is because the Kremlin will have decided to slam the door in the face of diplomacy, says Joe Biden.
His intervention lasted only a few minutes, but it was enough to reveal the pessimism of the American administration on the evolution of the situation.
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Also to listen
: No Russian de-escalation in Ukraine: "We are in an environment of gesticulation"
The American people are united.
Europe is united.
The Transatlantic community is united.
The entire free world is united.
Russia has a choice — between war and all the suffering that it will bring — or diplomacy that will make the future safer for everyone.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 18, 2022
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United States
Ukraine
Russia
Joe Biden