A United States national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned on Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine “at any time”, triggering a conflict that would have a “huge human cost”.
The US president’s top adviser issued another warning the day after US officials confirmed that Russia has mustered at least 70% of the strike force it likely intends to field by middle of the month to give President Vladimir Putin the chance to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mr. Sullivan did not directly respond to rumors that the White House informed lawmakers that a Russian invasion could lead to the rapid capture of Kiev and potentially cause up to 50,000 casualties.
US officials, who asked not to be identified, described a series of indicators suggesting that Putin intends to launch an invasion in the coming weeks, although the size and scale of it does not are not yet clear. They underlined that a diplomatic solution seems to remain possible.
Among those military indicators, a Russian nuclear exercise, which usually takes place every fall, was postponed from mid-February to March. This coincides with what US officials consider the most likely window for an invasion.
Moreover, last week, Biden administration officials said that US intelligence had discovered that the Kremlin was preparing to stage a fake attack by Ukrainian forces that Russia could use as a pretext to carry out an action. military against his neighbour.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that the plan included producing a propaganda video that would show explosions and use dead bodies and actors playing mourners.
Meanwhile, elite US troops landed in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine on Sunday following orders from President Biden to deploy 1,700 troops there. Military personnel are also deployed in Romania and Germany.
Mr Biden is due to meet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday at the White House.
French President Emmanuel Macron was due to arrive in Moscow on Monday for talks with Vladimir Putin, and he will then be joined there by Mr Scholz.
Mr. Sullivan expressed certainty that the operation of the Russia-Germany Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline “will not go ahead” if Russia invades Ukraine. Construction of the pipeline is complete, but the gas is not flowing yet.