US president Joe Biden ‘convinced’ Russia intends to attack Ukraine in coming days

US President delivered his alarming prediction that Ukraine would be invaded by Russian forces within days on Friday from the White House.

President Biden has told Americans that he was “convinced” Russian President Vladimir Putin had decided to invade Ukraine — and warned of a massive military operation that could target the Eastern European country’s capital, Kyiv.

“We have reason to believe that Russian forces are planning to — intending to attack Ukraine in the coming week — in the coming days,” Biden said in remarks from the White House Roosevelt Room, the New York Post reported.

“We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people.”

When asked by a reporter following his remarks: “Do you have any indication about whether President Putin has made a decision on whether to invade?”, Biden answered: “At this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that.”

US President Joe Biden made the prediction from the White House on February 18. Picture: Jim WATSON/AFP

Moments later, a second reporter asked: “You are convinced that President Putin is going to invade Ukraine? Is that what you just said a few moments ago?”

“Yes, I did,” the president answered. “Yes.”

“Is diplomacy off the table then?” the reporter followed up.

“No,” Biden responded. “Until he does [invade], diplomacy is always a possibility.”

In his comments, the president called out Russia for pushing “fabricated claims” that a Ukrainian invasion of two Moscow-backed separatists enclaves was imminent, rather than military action by the Kremlin. He also ripped Russian state media for making “phony allegations” that Ukraine was carrying out a “genocide” in the east of the country.

“It defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its borders, to escalate a year long conflict,” said Biden, who praised the Kyiv government’s forces for acting with what he called “great judgment and, I might add, restraint” for refusing to allow Russia to “bait them into war.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed between 169,000 and 190,000 military personnel “in and near” Ukraine. Picture: Sergei GUNEYEV/Sputnik/AFP

“We’re calling out Russia’s plans loudly and repeatedly, not because we want a conflict,” the president said, “but because we’re doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.”

“Make no mistake: If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice,” Biden went on. “The United States and our allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security as well.”

Shortly before Biden’s remarks, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had agreed to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Feb. 23 — provided an invasion of Ukraine by Russia was not already underway.

Psaki also announced that Biden would take part in a virtual meeting of the leaders of the G7 nations the following day.

The White House added the 4pm address to Biden’s schedule as Vice President Kamala Harris met at the Munich Security Conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the leaders of NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Russian military aircraft pictured in January. Picture: Russian Defense Ministry Press Service / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Harris flew to Europe Thursday to attend the three-day conference and is scheduled to give remarks on the crisis in Eastern Europe Saturday morning. She is also due to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Hours after Harris departed DC, Biden told reporters on the White House lawn that he thought the likelihood of a Russian invasion was “very high.”

Russian officials deny an invasion is in the works, but the US envoy to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) alleged Friday that Moscow has massed between 169,000 and 190,000 military personnel “in and near” Ukraine, up from approximately 100,000 as of Jan. 30.

Biden threatened last week to penalise Russia by blocking operation of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline, which is poised to begin piping fuel directly to Germany via the Baltic Sea rather than through Ukraine.

Russian warship during the Black sea naval exercises last week. Picture: Handout/Russian Defence Ministry/AFP

“If Russia invades — that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine, again — then there will be no longer a Nord Stream 2,” Biden said at a joint press conference with Scholz.

Scholz appeared notably less enthused about the threat — saying “we are absolutely united” but pointedly refusing to say the words “Nord Stream 2.”

Biden horrified Ukrainian officials last month when he said during a White House news conference that a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine might result in less-severe penalties — with one Ukrainian official saying that the remark could give Russian President Vladimir Putin a “green light” to invade. Biden led the Obama administration’s Ukraine policy after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and annexed the territory following a disputed referendum. Putin’s government also allegedly fomented rebellion in a pair of breakaway states in eastern Ukraine.

This article originally appeared on NY Post and was reproduced with permission