US says Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin during Olympics

WASHINGTON

The US on Friday warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin during the Beijing Olympics which will end on Feb. 20.

"We are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time should (Russian President) Vladimir Putin decide to order it ... It could begin during the Olympics despite a lot of speculation that it will only happen after the Olympics," President Joe Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference.


He said the US cannot pinpoint a day or an hour for the aggression but "what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that a Russian military action would take place, even before the end of the Olympics."

Sullivan said Washington is ready to continue results-oriented diplomacy that addresses the security concerns of the US, Russia and Europe.

Sullivan said if Russia attacks Ukraine, it might begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks, which he said "could obviously kill civilians without regard to the nationality."

"A subsequent ground invasion would involve the onslaught of a massive force," he added.

The national security advisor also called on Americans in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible, "and in any event in the next 24 to 48 hours."

There would be no prospect of a US military evacuation in the event of an invasion, he added.

Regarding an earlier report that the US believes Putin has made a decision about an invasion and has communicated the decision to the Russian military, Sullivan said the report does not accurately capture what the US government's view is.

"Our view is that we do not believe he has made any kind of final decision, or we don't know that he has made any final decision and we have not communicated that to anybody," said the advisor.

Biden held a secure video conference earlier on Friday with key allies and partners to coordinate the approach to the crisis. The participants included the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Poland, Romania, Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

"President Biden and his team will remain in close contact with our allies and partners to coordinate both on the potential for diplomacy and on any response that is necessary should Putin decide to order military action," said Sullivan.

Moscow recently amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.

Russia has denied it is preparing to invade and accused Western countries of undermining its security by NATO’s expansion towards its borders.

The Kremlin also issued a list of security demands to the West, including a rolling back of troop deployments from some ex-Soviet states, and guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia will not join NATO.