FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks about the situation in Russia and Ukraine from the White House in Washington, U.S., February 15, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
February 18, 2022
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden will deliver public remarks on Friday to give an update on U.S. diplomatic efforts to prevent what it calls an increasingly likely Russian invasion of Ukraine amid shelling and an evacuation in eastern Ukraine.
Biden will speak at 4 p.m. (2100 GMT) following a call with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Britain, the European Union and NATO on Friday, the White House said.
The president will provide “an update on our continued efforts to pursue deterrence and diplomacy, and Russia’s buildup of military troops on the border of Ukraine,” the White House said.
A source familiar with the situation said Biden will provide brief comments in the White House’s Roosevelt Room on the situation, not an address to the nation.
His administration has said that a diplomatic solution remains possible if Russia chooses but that Washington and its European allies are prepared to enact harsh punishments if Moscow opts to invade. Biden on Thursday said a Russian invasion could come in the next few days.
The call comes as the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Russia’s buildup of military personnel threatening Ukraine probably totals up to 190,000. Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine also announced an evacuation.
Meanwhile, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the Munich Security Conference on Friday, expressing concern amid the build-up and vowing to stay in close contact with NATO and U.S. allies.
“We feel very strongly about and will always be committed to the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Harris told reporters. “We remain of course supportive of diplomacy as it relates to the dialogue and discussions we’ve had with Russia, but we are also committed to taking corrective actions.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also addressed the conference on Friday, saying Washington remained “deeply concerned” that Russia was planning an attack on neighboring Ukraine within days.
Russia’s actions near Ukraine’s border have been aimed at creating false provocations designed to elicit a response, he said.
Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov planned to meet next week in Europe.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also urged de-escalation in a call with his Russian counterpart on Friday, the Pentagon said in a statement.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, Alexandra Alper and Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Nandita Bose and Phil Stewart; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Mark Porter and Alistair Bell)
Source: One America News Network
