The White House said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come within the week, possibly "within the next two days". US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said all the pieces were in place for a major military operation that could start "rapidly". "The risk is high enough and the threat is now immediate enough that prudence demands that it is the time to leave now," Sullivan said.
"We are not saying that a decision has been taken by President Putin," Sullivan said. "What we are saying is that we have a sufficient level of concern based on what we are seeing on the ground, and what our intelligence analysts have picked up, that we are sending this clear message."
US President Joe Biden has repeated his warning that any Americans still in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible. "It is not like we are dealing with a terrorist organisation. We are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It's a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly," he said in an interview with NBC News broadcast Thursday.
Asked whether there was any scenario that would prompt him to send US troops to Ukraine to rescue Americans, the president said: "There is not. That is a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another." He argued that if Putin is foolish enough to go in, he is smart enough not to, in fact, do anything that would negatively impact on American citizens.
Asked whether he's ever said that to Putin, Biden said he had. "I didn't have to tell him that. I've spoken about that. He knows that," Biden said. The State Department for weeks has advised Americans in Ukraine to leave the country.
