The president, Joe Biden, will hold a virtual meeting this Friday with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Canada, and with the leaders of NATO and the European Union, after his Secretary of State , Antony Blinken, warned that Russia could invade Ukraine "at any time", and even during the Olympic Games being held in Beijing.
Biden called on Thursday during an interview with NBC News for all Americans in Ukraine to leave that country "now."
“It's not like we're dealing with a terrorist group.
We are dealing with one of the largest armies in the world.
It is a very different situation and things could get out of control very quickly,” the president warned.
The State Department had already warned that it would not be possible to evacuate Americans in the event of a Russian invasion, and Biden insisted that would lead to a world war "with Americans and Russians shooting at each other."
Ukrainian servicemen from the 25th Air Assault Battalion in Avdiivka, Ukraine. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
According to military and intelligence agency analyses, the Russian military could launch a full-scale invasion with tanks that could reach Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, within 48 hours.
Biden opined that if Russian President Vladimir Putin is “dumb enough to get into [Ukraine], he is [yet] smart enough, in fact, not to do anything that negatively impacts American citizens.”
“Has he ever told you that?” the NBC reporter asked.
"Yes," Biden replied.
“Has he told you that the Americans are a line that he cannot cross?” he insisted.
“I didn't have to tell him that.
I've already talked about that.
He knows it," Biden said.
[Interview with Vice President Harris: “We are prepared if Russia acts to compromise Ukraine's sovereignty”]
Putin meets with Macron and Biden with Scholz in a diplomatic attempt to prevent a Russian invasion
Feb. 7, 202200:31
The White House on Thursday called a meeting of top security officials and Cabinet members to discuss the escalation of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, CNN reported.
[Russia releases images of its military deployment on the border]
Satellite images released by the company Maxar Technologies show the increased deployment of Russian forces in Crimea, western Russia and Belarus.
The presence includes troops, equipment, and hundreds of vehicles.
Russian military exercises in Belarus, a country bordering Ukraine, began in mid-January.
US troops continue to arrive in Poland in fear of a Russian invasion of Ukraine
Feb. 6, 202201:52
Ukraine: 5 things you need to know about the crisis with Russia
Feb. 4, 202203:04
[5 Reasons Russia Might Invade Ukraine and Why the US Is Involved]
Putin has demanded security guarantees from the United States and has demanded that Ukraine be banned from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
He also called for the withdrawal of NATO troops and weapons from much of Eastern Europe.
Both countries have a long history of fighting in 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.
