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The United States has warned that Russia might invade Ukraine "at any time" and that Americans should evacuate immediately. The White House indicated on Friday that an invasion might begin with aerial bombing, making escape impossible and putting civilians in danger. Despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border, Moscow has denied any plans to attack the country. As a result of the US announcement, countries all around the world have issued new cautions to citizens of Ukraine. The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands are among the countries advising residents to depart as quickly as possible. Attempts to de-escalate tensions through diplomacy are expected to continue Saturday, with US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron scheduled to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In remarks viewed as a dramatic escalation in the seriousness of warnings from US officials, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Russian forces were now "in a position to launch a major military action." "Of course, we can't forecast the future, and we don't know exactly what will happen," he continued, "but the risk is now high enough, and the threat is now immediate enough that [leaving] is wise."
Mr. Sullivan went on to say that the US didn't know if Russian President Vladimir Putin had made a final decision to invade, but that the Kremlin was seeking for a pretext to justify military action, which he suggested could begin with intense aerial bombing.
His remarks came as US authorities warned of a recent increase of Russian troops on Ukraine's borders, as well as upcoming Russian military drills in the Black Sea. The build-up in Russian forces near the border, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, is "extremely worrying indicators of Russian escalation." "We're in a timeframe where an invasion may start at any time," Mr Blinken said, adding that this includes the Olympics [which end on February 20].
In the case of Russian action, President Biden has stated that he will not send soldiers to help stranded civilians. The US president held a video conversation with transatlantic leaders on Friday, during which they promised to coordinate action to punish Russia economically if it attacked Ukraine. The US also announced that it would send 3,000 more troops to Poland from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, next week. The troops will not combat in Ukraine; instead, they will protect US friends.
Moscow has stated that it cannot allow Ukraine - a former Soviet republic with strong social and cultural links to Russia - joining NATO and has insisted that this be ruled out. Since 2014, Russia has backed a brutal armed insurgency in Ukraine's Donbas area. Since then, combat has claimed the lives of almost 14,000 individuals, many of whom are civilians. Some argue that a renewed focus on the so-called Minsk agreements, which aimed to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, may help calm the current crisis. The agreements were supported in 2014-2015 by Ukraine, Russia, France, and Germany.

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