White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that there is a “very distinct” possibility that Russia could attack Ukraine at “any time now.”
“We believe that there is a very distinct possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine,” Sullivan said on ABC’s This Week. “It could take a number of different forms. It could happen as soon as tomorrow, or it could take some weeks yet.”
Sullivan noted that the U.S. is working with allies to support a path of diplomacy.
“If they choose to go down the path of escalation instead, it will come at enormous human cost to Ukrainians. But it will also, we believe, over time, come at real strategic cost to Vladimir Putin.”
According to ABC, Putin has about 70 percent of his troops in place that could possibly launch a full-scale attack on Ukraine. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has ordered that U.S. troops be deployed in Poland.
Sullivan said about 1,700 of his 3,000 total troops have arrived so far. He said the forces “have not been sent to fight Russian forces in Ukraine.
“They have been sent to defend NATO territory because we have a sacred obligation under Article 5 to defend our NATO allies and to send a clear message to Russia, that if it tries to take any military action or aggression against our NATO allies, it will be met with a stiff response, including by the U.S. forces who are on the group there now.”
CBN News reports that Russia has some 100,000 troops stationed on Ukraine’s borders. Russia has demanded that NATO ban Ukraine from becoming a member of NATO and that Ukraine cut back on its own troops who are stationed in eastern Europe.
NATO has rejected those demands.
“We are ready, and we are ready to respond in a united, swift and severe way with our allies and partners should [Putin] choose to move forward with a military escalation,” Sullivan said.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Anna Moneymaker/Staff
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
