White House national security advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned that Russian invasion of Ukraine can happen “any day”. He also said that the invasion, if it happens, will come at a huge “human cost”. He made these comments even as the US sent 1700 troops to Poland “to defend NATO territory”.
The NSA commented on this issue at three separate news talk shows. “If war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well,” Sullivan said. “We believe that the Russians have put in place the capabilities to mount a significant military operation into Ukraine, and we have been working hard to prepare a response,” Sullivan added.
He did not explicitly entertain the reports that lawmakers have been briefed about a possible Russian invasion which can lead to a fast capture of Kyiv which can result in estimated 50,000 casualties. There have been a number of measures taken up by Russia at its border with Ukraine which indicated that the Invasion might happen in coming weeks, as per American officials quoted by AP.
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Among these indicators is Russia’s decision to prepone the annual exercise of strategic nuclear forces from October to mid-February. This is said to be the timeframe in which the invasion is likely to materialize, as per the AP report.
“It could happen as soon as tomorrow or it could take some weeks yet… (Putin) has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now,” Sullivan further said. “The key thing is that the United States needs to be and is prepared for any of those contingencies and in lockstep with our allies and partners… We have reinforced and reassured our allies on the eastern flank," he added.
As per latest developments, the US has deployed 1700 soldiers near the border with Ukraine in southeastern Poland. In addition to this, hundreds of infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division are expected to arrive at the Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport located in the city of Rzeszow in southeastern Poland.
The NSA has however clarified that the US troops deployment in Poland is not intended to start a war with Russia. “(President Biden) has been clear for months now that the United States is not sending forces to start a war or fight a war with Russia in Ukraine…We have sent forces to Europe to defend NATO territory," Sullivan said. He added that President Biden has reassured NATO allies with material support to Ukraine with a simultaneous effort of alleviating the tensions by offering a diplomatic dialogue with Russia.
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Recently, China has issued a statement in support of Russia after presidents of the two countries met on the sidelines of the 2022 Winter Olympics. They asked NATO and the US to “abandon the ideological approaches of the Cold War.”
