The American president said that the capital, Kiev, would be “target grip”. He believes, however, that he is not “not too late” for diplomacy.
Le Monde with AFP
Joe Biden said, Friday, February 18, “convinced” that the Russian President Vladimir Putin had “made the decision” to invade Ukraine, adding, however, that he was “not too late” for diplomacy.
“We have reason to believe that the Russian forces intend to attack Ukraine (…) in the coming days,” said US President in a speech from the White House. “I am convinced that he made the decision. We have reasons to think it”.
“We think they will take Kiev for target, a city of 2.8 million innocents,” he added.
As long as an invasion did not occur, “diplomacy is still a possibility,” he added, stressing that the leader of American diplomacy Antony Blinken had to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday in Europe.
If Russia invades Ukraine by then it will have “slammed the door to diplomacy,” he warned.
Not sure he is “wise” for Zelensky to leave Ukraine
m. Biden has also been asked if it would be “wise” for President Volodymyr Zelansky to leave Ukraine currently to go to an international conference, feeling that it was up to him to make that decision.
“In a diplomatic outcome quest, it might not be, it could be the wisest option, but the decision returns to him,” said Mr. Biden without clearly declaring, while the question arises Mr. Zelensky returns to the Munich Security Conference, which brings together many international leaders on Sunday.
m. Biden accused Moscow to conduct a disinformation campaign, including by accusing Kiev to prepare an attack on Russia, to find a pretext of invading his neighbor.
“There is simply no proof to corroborate these assertions and it escapes any logic to think that the Ukrainians would choose the moment they have 150,000 soldiers [Russians] deployed at their borders to choose climbing In this conflict that has lasted for years, “he noted.
“All these events correspond to a scenario that Russia has used in the past, which is to create a false justification to act against Ukraine,” added the US president. “If Russia puts its implementation plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and unnecessary war, which it will have chosen”.