The U.S. warns a Russian attack on Ukraine could come at «any time,» but neither side has abandoned diplomacy yet.
Russia has massed well near its own border with Ukraine and in neighboring Belarus, leaving the country surrounded on three sides. The buildup and position of those forces has drawn warnings from the White House that Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an attack «any time,» and may well do so before the end of this week. The U.S. has poured military hardware into Ukraine and contributed to a in Eastern Europe in response. Russia and NATO are both carrying out military exercises in the region and demanding that the other party step back first from the brink of war. Along with European partners and the G7, the U.S. has warned that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring » for Moscow, in the form of. U.S. and European leaders have also warned that a full Russian invasion of Ukraine could result in 100,000 civilian deaths and change the world in fundamental ways. But neither side has abandoned diplomacy yet. Here’s what you need to know about the standoff on the border between Russia and the democracies of Europe. The Russian forces have gathered along Ukraine’s northern, eastern and southern borders. U.S. officials tell CBS News that Russia now has in place that it would need to launch a full-scale invasion, and that Russia is expected to launch some form of attack against Ukraine by the end of this week. Russia insists it has no intention of invading Ukraine and has dismissed the U.S. warnings as «hysteria.» The West points to huge Russian military exercises just across Ukraine’s borders as evidence of its aggression. NATO and Ukraine have responded by carrying out their own war games close to Russian territory. Russia has said that a massive joint drill it’s holding with ally Belarus, on Ukraine’s northern border, will end on February 20 and that the 30,000 Russian forces taking part will come home when it’s over. But on February 14, a U.S. official told CBS News national security correspondent David Martin that Russian troops near Ukraine’s border had begun The Russian defense minister said earlier the same day that some of Russia’s military exercises in the region had already concluded and that others would wrap up in the coming days. It was a vague statement, and U.S. officials reported no movements of Russian forces away from Ukraine’s borders. Secretary Antony Blinken announced Monday the U.S.
