White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “remains imminent.”
“But again, we can’t make a prediction of what decision President Putin will make. We’re still engaged in diplomatic discussions and negotiations,” Psaki said during her daily press briefing.
Psaki’s pessimism is reinforced by events on the ground. The New York Times reports that Russia announced a “flurry of military drills across its vast territory, spanning from the Pacific Ocean to its western flank around Ukraine.”
The Times explains that the drills are meant to demonstrate “the vast reach of the Russian forces.”
Meanwhile, the United States is also flexing its military prowess and steadfast support of Ukraine. From The Washington Post:
At the Boryspil airport outside of Kyiv, Ukrainian forces unloaded a new shipment of U.S. security assistance, including some 300 javelin missiles, shoulder-launched multipurpose assault weapons and other weaponry. Standing beside the weapons in the freezing night air, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine, Kristina A. Kvien, warned Moscow that Ukrainian troops are “well equipped and they’re ready.”
“Russian soldiers sent to Ukraine at the behest of the Kremlin will face fierce resistance,” she said. “The losses to Russia will be heavy.”
The Post adds:
The Pentagon, meanwhile, was preparing to announce that elements of the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division are among the 8,500 U.S. military forces that could deploy in response to the crisis in Ukraine, according to two U.S. defense officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plans were not yet public. Separately, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the 8,500 figure he first cited Monday could grow.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the United States of “building up tension” by putting its forces on high alert. “We are observing these actions of the United States with profound concern,” he said.
The Associated Press reports:
The U.S. State Department has ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv to leave the country, and it said that nonessential embassy staff could leave. Britain said it, too, was withdrawing some diplomats and dependents from its embassy, and families of Canadian diplomatic staff also have been told to leave.
In Ukraine, however, authorities have sought to project calm in order not to destabilize the situation and avoid panic — and many citizens have expressed skepticism that there will be an invasion soon.
In parliament, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that “as of today, there are no grounds to believe” that Russia is preparing to invade imminently, noting that its troops have not formed what he called a battle group that could force its way through the border.
“Don’t worry, sleep well,” he said. “No need to have your bags packed.”
NBC News explains what’s motivating Russian strongman Vladimir Putin:
The Kremlin’s official line amid the current standoff centers on Putin’s demands for security guarantees for Russia that would include a stop to NATO’s expansion eastward, and a formal veto on Ukraine from ever joining the military alliance. It also wants NATO to roll back its military deployments in the region. The demands would significantly redraw Europe’s security landscape and have been largely dismissed by Washington and the military alliance.
NATO nations have steadfastly rejected the idea that Russia gets to pick who joins their alliance.
