US President Joe Biden said on Friday, February 18, that he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine within the “coming days” and would target the capital Kyiv.
A US defence official is now estimating that 40% to 50% of Russian troops deployed in the vicinity of the Ukrainian border are now in attack positions.
“Russian troops currently have Ukraine surrounded,” Biden told media in Washington. “We have reason to believe that Russians forces plan to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week, the coming days.”
“As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision,” Biden said.
“We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital Kyiv,” he said. “We are calling out Russia’s plans loudly and repeatedly not because we want a conflict but because are doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine.” Credit: The White House via Storyful.