From the Liveblog of
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Biden says ‘very high’ risk of Russian invasion of Ukraine within ‘several days’
US President Joe Biden says there is a “very high” risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine within “several days.”
Biden says he has no current plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
His comments came immediately after Russia expelled the number two US diplomat in Moscow as tensions build over the threat to invade Ukraine.
“We can confirm that Russia expelled US Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) to Russia Bart Gorman,” a State Department spokesperson says.
“Russia’s action against our DCM was unprovoked and we consider this an escalatory step and are considering our response,” the spokesperson says. “Now more than ever, it is critical that our countries have the necessary diplomatic personnel in place to facilitate communication between our governments.”
