Russia, in the event of a potential invasion of Ukraine, could capture major cities in that country, including Kiev. This statement was made by Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security Jake Sullivan. He called on all Americans to leave Ukraine in the coming hours. More details - in the material. Assistant to the President of the United States for national security Jake Sullivan argues that Russia could allegedly take aggressive steps against Ukraine already during the Olympic Games in Beijing.

“As we said earlier, we are at a stage where an invasion could start at any moment. I won't comment on the details of the intelligence we have, but I want to make it clear that it could start around the time of the Olympics, despite a lot of speculation that it could only happen after the Olympics are over," he said on Friday 11 February, at a briefing at the White House.

At the same time, the United States, according to him, does not claim that the Russian Federation has made a final decision on the use of force against Ukraine.

At the same time, Sullivan suggested that Russia, in the event of a potential invasion of Ukraine, could capture the country's major cities, including Kiev.

“There is a high probability that the invasion will include the capture of a significant territory of Ukraine and the capture of large cities, including the capital,” TASS quoted him as saying.

Bloomberg, citing its sources, claims that Russia may attack Ukraine on February 15.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has already stated that the authorities of Western countries and the media have entered into a conspiracy to escalate artificial tension around Ukraine. “The hysteria of the White House is more revealing than ever. The Anglo-Saxons need a war. At any price. Provocations, misinformation and threats are a favorite method of solving one's own problems," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.

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“As forces put on high alert in case NATO decides to send them to Europe, the president had the opportunity to discuss this with the NATO Secretary General today.

No decision has been made in this regard, but these forces remain on high alert should such a request come from NATO," Sullivan explained.

...and new sanctions

The representative of the US administration also said that the US and European countries have reached a significant degree of unity on sanctions against Russia in the event of its hypothetical invasion of Ukraine.

“In close coordination with our European partners, we make clear to Russia that we are ready to engage in diplomacy based on our values ​​and the principle of reciprocity.

But we are also ready to respond decisively, together with our allies and partners, if Russia takes military action.

Our response will include tough economic sanctions. The same packages will be introduced by the European Union, the UK, Canada and other countries,” Sullivan informed.

Security guarantees

At the same time, the US is ready to cooperate with Russia and continue negotiations on European security issues. “If Russia really wants diplomatic results, we are ready to do it. We have submitted specific proposals.

We are ready to interact and discuss the principles and parameters of European security with European partners and Russia," the US presidential aide said.

Biden wants to have a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but the White House cannot yet announce any specific dates.

“I would expect President Biden to have a telephone conversation with President Putin. But I have nothing to announce to you about this right now,” Sullivan said.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later said that the conversation between the two presidents would take place on the evening of February 12.

It is also expected that telephone conversations between the Russian leader and French President Emmanuel Macron may take place on Saturday, French media reported.

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Leaving Ukraine

In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called the risk of a Russian attack on Ukraine high. He stated that the NATO countries are ready for any scenario. “NATO remains open to dialogue, guaranteeing the protection of all allies,” the current head of the alliance emphasized.

Against this background, the United States is further reducing the number of personnel of its embassy in Ukraine and is calling on all Americans to leave this country immediately, Sullivan said at the same briefing at the White House.

“We continue to reduce the number of our staff at the embassy in Kiev. We call American citizens who remain in Ukraine to leave the country immediately.At this stage, we want to be very clear: any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible - within the next 24-48 hours, ”he said.

Biden had previously urged Americans to leave Ukraine "right now."

Following this statement, the British authorities began the evacuation of embassy staff from Kiev. The kingdom's subjects have been advised to refrain from any travel to Ukraine, and those already there have been advised to leave "while they can" and while "commercial means are available". In connection with "this increased threat", the Foreign Office clarified that the diplomatic mission in Kiev will remain open, but will not be able to provide personal consular assistance.

On February 11, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry called on its citizens to leave Ukraine "due to a serious and unpredictable situation." The South Korean authorities decided to ban their citizens from traveling to Ukraine from February 13 and also called on citizens to leave the country as a matter of urgency. The evacuation of families of diplomats from Kiev also began Israel. The authorities of the Netherlands and Latvia recommended their citizens to leave Ukraine.

We add that the XXIV Winter Olympic Games are held in Beijing, and also partially in Zhangjiakou and Yanqing. The competition is scheduled to end next Sunday, February 20, 2022.

bbabo.Net