‘Distinct possibility’ of Russia invading Ukraine during Beijing Olympics, says US

The Joe Biden-led US government strongly believes that Russia could invade Ukraine before the Beijing Winter Olympics end on February 20. However, officials don’t believe that Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived at the decision yet. 

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, noted that the situation in Ukraine is currently tense enough to warn Americans to evacuate in the next 24 to 48 hours. 

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As per NBC, Sullivan spoke at the White House briefing, saying “We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border. As we’ve said before, we are in the window when an invasion could begin at any time should Vladimir Putin decide to order it.” 

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He further added, “I will not comment on the details of our intelligence information, but I do want to be clear, it could begin during the Olympics, despite a lot of speculation that it would only happen after the Olympics”. 

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Earlier, President Joe Biden had also warned Americans to evacuate, saying that sending troops to Ukraine would definitely result in a war. 

While Sullivan clearly stated that there’s no confirmation of Putin having given the order yet, the troop movement on the ground and what they’ve picked up from analysts have been enough to issue this warning. 

He continued, “It is clear to us that there is a very distinct possibility that Russia will choose to act militarily and there is reason to believe that could happen on a reasonably swift timeframe. Now, we can’t pinpoint the day at this point, and we can’t pinpoint the hour, but what we can say is that there is a credible prospect that a Russian military action would take place, even before the end of the Olympics”.

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As per Biden’s top advisor, the Russian attack would likely begin with aerial bombings and missile launches. It might also involve a rapid assault on Kyiv, the capital, in an attempt to seize it. 

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This offensive would be met with “severe economic sanctions, with similar packages imposed by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and other countries. It would also include changes to NATO and American-force posture along the eastern flank of NATO, and it would include continued support to Ukraine”.