The United States Army Chief of Staff, General Mark Millie, held a joint press conference tonight (Friday) with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin regarding the tense situation on the Ukrainian border and warned Russia of a possible invasion of its neighbor.
Millie referred to the deployment of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border, saying that if all this force was used to attack "the consequences would be severe, leading to many casualties", noting that much of the fighting would take place in urban areas.
Austin added that in the US it is believed that Putin has decided whether he intends to invade Ukraine, and that the concentration of forces on the border will suffice for a significant attack, but he may intend to settle for political provocation, or recognition of the independence of pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.
Russian forces in the Crimea, Photo: AP
Earlier today, the Wall Street Journal reported on the response measures the US administration is planning towards Russia in the event of an attack on Ukraine.
According to the report, the US has decided on a series of sanctions against Russian banks, government companies and restricting the export of vital resources to Russia.
U.S. officials who spoke to the paper said the plan, which was in the final stages of preparation, would be the most comprehensive against Russia for decades - and would further undermine U.S. President Joe Biden's threat of harsh sanctions on Russia's economy and even Russian President Vladimir Putin's himself.
According to executives who spoke with the newspaper, among the targets are the largest banks in Russia - including VTB Bank, a ban on trading in Russian bonds and a ban on the sale of advanced technology products to Russia.
It should be noted that the Obama administration also imposed similar sanctions, but smaller in scope, on Russia after the previous invasion of Ukraine in 2014, which did not prevent the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Moscow, and since then Russia has reduced its external debt and holds larger foreign exchange reserves .
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