“We can’t completely predict the day, however we have now now been saying for a while that we’re within the window, and an invasion might start, a significant army motion might start by Russia in Ukraine any day now — that features this coming week, earlier than the tip of the Olympics,” Sullivan advised Tapper.
He added, “The best way they’ve constructed up their forces, the way in which they’ve maneuvered issues in place, makes it a definite risk there shall be main army motion very quickly. And we’re ready to proceed to work on diplomacy, however we’re additionally ready to reply in a united and decisive approach with our allies and companions ought to Russia proceed.”
Sullivan was talking a day after President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of “swift and extreme prices” if he had been to order an invasion of Ukraine.
Sullivan will maintain a collection of briefings with lawmakers on Russia and Ukraine on Monday, a White Home official confirmed.
The US has estimated that Russia has greater than 100,000 troops close to the Ukraine border, with 1000’s added simply this week, in accordance with an administration official. The US on Saturday moved a few of its forces out of Ukraine and ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy workers from the nation. Sullivan stated the US Embassy in Ukraine is “prepared to finish the drawdown … ought to that change into crucial.”
The US’ concern over the state of affairs in Ukraine was additional underscored Sunday when US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield scrapped plans to steer a delegation to Liberia this week to as an alternative deal with the tensions between Russia and Ukraine, in accordance with a supply conversant in the choice.
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby stated Sunday the intelligence the Protection Division has that means Russia might invade Ukraine at any second “actually was a mix of things,” together with what the US is seeing in plain sight on the border.
“I feel a mosaic of the intelligence that we’re seeing, not chatting with it particularly, however we have now good sources of intelligence and so they’re telling us that issues are form of constructing now to some sort of crescendo alternative for Mr. Putin,” he advised Fox.
Relating to the exit of some American forces and diplomatic workers from Ukraine, Kirby advised MSNBC that Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin “out of an abundance of warning … determined it was time to maneuver them overseas,” including the troops had been already stationed near the Polish border so it was “pretty simple to get them overseas.”
Sullivan on Friday had warned People in Ukraine to depart and stated that army motion might start with an aerial bombardment that might kill civilians.
He reiterated these calls to Tapper on Sunday, saying {that a} army assault would probably start with missile and bomb assaults.
“These are by no means as exact as the military — any military — would love them to be. We do not even know the way exact the Russian military would love them to be,” Sullivan stated. “Harmless civilians may very well be killed no matter their nationality. It could then be adopted by an onslaught of a floor pressure transferring throughout the Ukrainian frontier. Once more, the place harmless civilians might get caught within the cross fireplace or trapped in locations they might not transfer from. So that’s the reason we’re being so clear and direct to Americans that whereas industrial transport choices are nonetheless accessible, they need to reap the benefits of them.”
The nationwide safety adviser declined to weigh in on whether or not he thinks it is change into extra probably that Putin will order troops massing on the border to invade neighboring Ukraine, as an alternative pointing to “an acceleration of that buildup.”
“I am not going to handicap what is going to occur — I can’t sit right here right this moment and predict,” Sullivan stated. “What I can do is be certain we’re ready — and we’re ready. We’re ready to reply instantly and decisively, flanked by our allies and companions, if Russia strikes ahead. We’ll defend NATO territory, we are going to impose prices on Russia and we are going to make sure that we emerge from this because the West stronger, extra decided, extra purposeful than we have now been in 30 years, and that Russia finally suffers a major strategic value for army motion.”
If Russia does invade Ukraine, Sullivan stated, US intelligence factors to the opportunity of a false flag operation as pretext for invasion.
“We have now info that we have now gathered by way of intelligence that signifies that there’s lively planning for this, and it is not simply america saying it,” Sullivan advised Tapper. “We have now our NATO allies stepping out and saying it as effectively, as a result of they have been in a position to overview that intelligence, assess its credibility and attain the identical conclusion we have now reached. So, I do suppose the world needs to be ready for Russia staging a pretext after which watching a possible army motion.”
“Our view is that we’re not going to offer Russia the chance to conduct a shock right here — to spring one thing on Ukraine or the world. We’re going to be sure that we’re laying out for the world what we see as transparently and plainly as we presumably can and share that info as extensively as we are able to,” Sullivan stated. “That is what we have carried out. That is what we’ll proceed to do.”
This story has been up to date with extra info.
CNN’s Allison Malloy, Arlette Saenz and Sam Fossum contributed to this report.
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