Democrat President Joe Biden put the U.S. one step closer to having a potential military conflict with Russia on Friday when he told reporters that he is moving U.S. soldiers to Eastern Europe.
“I’ll be moving troops to Eastern Europe in the NATO countries in the near term,” Biden told reporters. “Not too many.”
Biden’s remarks come after Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley warned on Friday that a Russian invasion into Ukraine would yield “horrific” results as the administration believes that Russia has amassed approximately 100,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border.
“Given the type of forces that are arrayed … if that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties,” Milley said at a Pentagon press briefing. “You can imagine what that might look like in dense urban areas, along roads, and so on and so forth. It would be horrific. It would be terrible. And it’s not necessary. And we think a diplomatic outcome is the way to go here.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on Friday that conflict with Russia was “not inevitable.”
“There’s no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict,” Austin said. “He can choose to de-escalate. He can order his troops away. He can choose dialogue and diplomacy.”
A senior Ukrainian official told CNN yesterday that a phone call this week between Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “did not go well” as Ukraine has accused the U.S. of hyping the threat level that Russia poses.
Biden’s State Department issued a new warning late on Friday night, saying in a statement:
The security situation continues to be unpredictable due to the increased threats of Russian military action. U.S. citizens should consider departing now.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that NATO’s main goal right now was to prevent military conflict in Ukraine.
“And that’s exactly why we send a very clear message to Russia that if they once again decide to use force against Ukraine, it will come with a high costs for Russia. Economic, financial, political sanction,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO Allies also provide support to Ukraine. Ukraine has of course the right to self-defense as every sovereign nation has. And NATO Allies help them to uphold that right to self-defense with the support Allies provided to Ukraine.”
The news comes as the Biden administration ordered the families of all American personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine to immediately leave the country over the weekend.
“The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine’s borders, in Russia-occupied Crimea, and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv,” the U.S. State Department said. “Do not travel to Ukraine due to the increased threats of Russian military action and COVID-19. Exercise increased caution in Ukraine due to crime and civil unrest. Some areas have increased risk.”
A source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told BuzzFeed News on Monday that Zelensky “does not think there’s any remotely imminent threat to Kyiv.”
“The fact that the US was the first one to announce this is extremely disappointing and quite frankly these Americans are safer in Kyiv than they are in Los Angeles … or any other crime-ridden city in the US,” the source said. “On the one hand, [Washington tells Ukraine] how we should democratize. We stand with you. It’s your right to determine to join the West. We will stand with you against Russian aggression. Then Russia turns up the temperature and they’re the first to leave.”
The source said that Zelensky views Biden’s panicky response as “utterly ridiculous” and a sign of “U.S. inconsistency.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.