View
comments
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made preparations to invade Ukraine but it's unclear he's made the final decision to do so, a senior administration official said on Monday, but vowed that 'substantial sanctions' would be imposed should Moscow make such a move.
The official briefed reporters on the situation in the Ukraine ahead of President Joe Biden's call with Putin on Tuesday.
Taking a tough tone ahead of the conversation between the two leaders, the official noted that the U.S. and Eureopeans are prepared to place 'substantial economic' sanctions on Russia should Putin invade the Ukraine although the person wouldn't commit to the United States putting boots on the ground to help Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
'To be clear, we do not know whether President Putin has made a decision about further military escalation in Ukraine. But we do know that he is putting in place the capacity to engage in such escalation should he decide to do so. We've seen this Russian playbook before in 2014 when Russia last invaded Ukraine,' the senior administration official said.
'We have seen the movement of additional capabilities and forces to the vicinity of Ukraine in multiple different areas. And these movements are consistent with the planning that we see underway for a military escalation in Ukraine,' the official added.
The official added that Russia could still choose a 'different course' and the Biden administration is encouraging Moscow
