The White House has urged all Americans in Ukraine to leave the country within the next “24 to 48 hours,” warning the U.S. won’t rescue civilians if Russia invades, according to the Associated Press.
- Russia could invade Ukraine “within the week, possibly within the next two days, even before the end of the Winter Olympics,” Associated Press reports.
Quick flashback: President Joe Biden called on all Americans in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, saying there are increasing threats of Russian military action in Ukraine.
What he said: “American citizens should leave now,” Biden told NBC News.
- “We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly.”
- Biden said he would not send troops to help evacuate Americans.
- “That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another. We’re in a very different world than we’ve ever been.”
State of play: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could begin at any time” as the U.S. has seen “very troubling signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.”
- “As we’ve said before, we’re in a window when an invasion could begin at any time — and to be clear that includes during the Olympics,” Blinken said, according to CNN.
- “We’re continuing to draw down our embassy. We will continue that process. And we’ve also been very clear that any American citizens who remain in Ukraine should leave now,” he added.
The other side: Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine.
- The country currently has more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border.
The bottom line: Russia and Ukraine both began military exercises Thursday, a signal to the West that war could be on the way, as I wrote for the Deseret News.