Biden’s call to allies followed a situation room meeting at the White House to discuss the latest intelligence on the Russian military buildup and on Putin’s thinking, according to The Guardian.
Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Friday that the US believes Russia could take offensive military action or attempt to spark a conflict inside Ukraine as early as next week.
Conflict “could begin during the Olympics despite a lot of speculation that it could only happen after” the Winter Games end, Sullivan told reporters at the White House on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
“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,” he added.
A Russian attack would likely begin with aerial bombing and missile attacks that would cause widespread civilian casualties, Sullivan said, encouraging Americans in Ukraine to leave as soon as feasible.
Earlier on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that Russia could launch an invasion of Ukraine at any time, including during the Beijing Winter Olympics. READ MORE
