Headline Roundup • February 17th, 2022
Biden Says Russia Could Invade Ukraine 'Within the Next Several Days'
Russia,Joe Biden,Antony Blinken,Ukraine,World,Foreign Policy,State Department,US Military,US Navy,United Nations,UN Security Council,Europe
Summary from the AllSides News Team
President Joe Biden told reporters Thursday that his “sense” was that Russia could invade Ukraine “within the next several days,” adding that while the risk was “very high,” there was still a “clear diplomatic path.”
Biden’s remarks came along with several developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis. On Wednesday, a senior administration official told reporters that while Russia previously said it would withdraw some troops from its border with Ukraine, it had in fact added as many as 7,000 troops. The same day, U.S. officials said a Russian aircraft had flown as close as five feet away from U.S. Navy patrol planes over the weekend. Speaking at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Russia to withdraw its troops and publicly state that it would not invade. Blinken also reiterated U.S. officials’ assessment that Russia was planning to “manufacture a pretext for its attack.” The same day, Russia expelled the deputy U.S. ambassador from the country but allowed Ambassador John J. Sullivan to remain in Moscow.
Coverage of Biden’s remarks, Blinken’s remarks and the deputy ambassador expulsion made top headlines across the spectrum on Thursday. Coverage was mostly balanced on both sides; some coverage in right-rated outlets tied the Ukraine crisis to Biden’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Tyler Hicks/The New York Times
The United States and Russia continued to clash over the fate of Ukraine, with President Biden warning Thursday that the threat of a Russian attack remained “very high,” even as the Kremlin insisted that it was withdrawing troops from border areas and said in writing it was not planning an invasion.
But Russia repeated its threat of unspecified “military-technical measures” if the United States did not accede to its demands for sweeping changes to security arrangements in Eastern Europe, a signal that President Vladimir V. Putin would use his large-scale...
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
President Biden on Thursday said the U.S. has reason to believe that Russia is "engaged in a false flag operation," and said he believes that an invasion into Ukraine "will happen in the next several days."
Tensions have spiked along the line that separates Ukrainian forces from Russia-backed separatists in the country’s east, with the parties accusing each other of intensive shelling.
As he departed the White House, Biden said the threat of a Russian invasion into Ukraine is "very high," and that he believes it could happen "in the next several days."
Ukrainian Chief of General Staff / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
President Biden told reporters Thursday that his "sense" is that Russia will invade Ukraine "within the next several days," as troops and supplies continue to arrive at the border and international monitors report shelling across the line of contact in eastern Ukraine.
The latest: "Every indication that we have is that they are prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine," Biden said, warning that the risk is "very high." He added that there is still a "path to diplomacy," but that he has no plans to reach out to Russian President...
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