Intelligence agencies believe Russia could go for a ground invasion of Ukraine within the next 30 days, said the White House on Friday. Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) plans to deepen cyber cooperation with Ukraine following the knockout of the key government websites in Kyiv.
In an official statement, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said the US government has information that indicates that Russia is already working actively to create a pretext for a potential invasion, for a move on Ukraine.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration was “concerned” Russia would stage such an attack, and warned it could happen between mid-January and mid-February.
“We are concerned that the Russian government is preparing for an invasion in Ukraine that may result in widespread human rights violations and war crimes should diplomacy fail to meet their objectives,” Psaki said.
Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s border, sparking fears that Moscow may be planning to invade its neighbour in a manner similar to when it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Amid tensions, US President Joe Biden has warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow would face serious economic sanctions if Russia were to invade Ukraine. Moscow, however, has repeatedly denied any intentions of invading Ukraine.
Earlier today, NATO said it planned to deepen cyber cooperation with Ukraine after a sweeping attack knocked out key government websites in Kyiv at a time of mounting tensions between Russia and the West over Ukrainian security.
