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Biden tells allies Russia may attack Ukraine on February 16 - paper

According to Politico, the US leader told his counterparts that, in US opinion, the ‘invasion’ could be preceded by missile strikes and cyber attacks

WASHINGTON, February 12. /TASS/. During a conversation with his Transatlantic allies on Friday, US President Joe Biden claimed Russia may attack Ukraine on February 16, the Politico newspaper said, citing own sources.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Poland, Romania and France, as well as the NATO secretary general and the president of the European Commission took part in the talks.

According to Politico, the US leader told his counterparts that, in US opinion, the ‘invasion’ could be preceded by missile strikes and cyber attacks. One of the paper’s sources said the call of the leaders indicated that cyberattacks were "imminent," while another said intelligence reports were "specific and alarming."

In turn, an unnamed UK source said London had "a different interpretation" of the alleged February 16 attack. Two European Union diplomats shared even more skeptical views, with one saying they "still refuse to buy it." "It [attacking Ukraine] would be such a mistake <…> War is costly," he was quoted as saying.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that the alleged Russian invasion could begin at any time, including "during the [Beijing] Olympics, despite a lot of speculation that it would only happen after the Olympics." "We are not saying that a decision has been taken," he added.

At the same time, Sullivan provided no evidence to substantiate his allegations, claiming only that Russia increased the number of its troops deployed near the Ukrainian border.

Concerns over Moscow’s alleged preparations for an invasion into Ukraine have been increasingly announced in the West and in Kiev recently. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these statements as an empty and groundless escalation of tension, emphasizing that Russia posed no threat to anyone. At the same time, the Kremlin press secretary did not exclude some possible provocations to justify such claims and warned that the attempts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict by force would carry extremely serious consequences.

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Ukraine Joseph Biden

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