{"id":30629,"date":"2022-01-28T01:36:16","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T01:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/01\/28\/biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:06:15","slug":"biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/28\/biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden says Russian invasion in February a \u2018distinct possibility\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MOSCOW \u2014 The White House says President Joe Biden warned Ukraine\u2019s president Thursday that there is a \u201cdistinct possibility\u201d Russia could take military action against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ukraine <\/a>in February. The Kremlin likewise sounded a grim note, saying it saw \u201clittle ground for optimism\u201d in resolving the crisis after the U.S. this week again&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2022\/01\/26\/us-nato-deliver-counteroffers-to-russia-on-defusing-ukraine-war-prospects\/\">rejected Russia\u2019s main demands.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russian officials said dialogue was still possible to end the crisis, but Biden again offered a stark warning amid growing concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will give the go-ahead for a further invasion of Ukrainian territory in the not-so-distant future.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/01\/27\/russia-not-yet-ready-for-full-scale-attack-says-ukraine\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"166\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/UkieRussia11.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russia not yet ready for full-scale attack says Ukraine<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are now more than 109,000 Russian troops near Ukraine&#039;s border, according to an assessment shared by Ukraine.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House said Biden\u2019s comments to Ukraine\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/25\/ukraine-urges-calm-saying-russian-invasion-not-imminent\/\" target=\"_blank\">Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> in a phone call amplified concerns that administration officials have been making for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPresident Biden said that there is a distinct possibility that the Russians could invade Ukraine in February,\u201d White House National Security Council spokesperson Emily Horne said. \u201cHe has said this publicly and we have been warning about this for months. &#8220;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the United States and its NATO allies expressed concern that a buildup of about 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine signaled that Moscow planned to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. Russia denies having any such designs \u2014 and has laid out a series of demands it says will improve security in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But as expected, the U.S. and the Western alliance firmly rejected any concessions on Moscow\u2019s main points Wednesday, refusing to permanently ban Ukraine from joining NATO and saying allied deployments of troops and military equipment in Eastern Europe are nonnegotiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. did outline areas in which some of Russia\u2019s concerns might be addressed, possibly offering a path to de-escalation. But, as it has done repeatedly for the past several weeks, Washington also warned Moscow of devastating sanctions if it invades Ukraine. In addition to penalties targeting Russian people and key economic sectors, several senior U.S. officials said Thursday with certainty that Germany would not allow a newly constructed gas pipeline to begin operations in the event of an incursion.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/01\/27\/us-air-force-ramps-up-intel-flights-weapons-shipments-to-ukraine\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1000w_q95-1-2.jpg-2.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">US Air Force ramps up intel flights, weapons shipments to Ukraine<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Flight trackers have spotted American Rivet Joint, Global Hawk, Reaper and Joint STARS aircraft, plus allied assets.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All eyes are now on Putin, who will decide how Russia will respond amid fears that Europe could again be plunged into war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the meantime, Biden spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Zelenskyy on Thursday to reiterate American and allied support, including recent deliveries of U.S. military aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden warned Zelenskyy that the U.S. believed there was a high degree of likelihood that Russia could invade when the ground freezes and Russian forces could attack Ukrainian territory from north of Kyiv, according to two people familiar with the conversation who were not authorized to comment publicly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military experts have said Russia may be waiting for optimal ground conditions to move heavy equipment into Kyiv as part of any invasion. Eight years ago, Russia invaded Ukraine\u2019s Crimean Peninsula in late February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Zelenskyy tweeted that he and Biden also discussed the possibility of additional financial support for Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-61871\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg 5760w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP22027666342462.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5760px) 100vw, 5760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An armed serviceman walks along a trench on the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants on the frontline with Ukrainian government forces near Spartak village in Yasynuvata district of Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022. (Alexei Alexandrov\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The White House said Biden told Zelenskyy he was \u201cexploring additional macroeconomic support to help Ukraine\u2019s economy\u201d as it comes under pressure as a result of Russia\u2019s military buildup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the United States announced that the U.N. Security Council will hold an open meeting Monday on what U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield called Russia\u2019s \u201cthreatening behavior.\u201d She said the deployment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/20\/satellite-images-show-more-russian-troops-equipment-near-ukraine\/\" target=\"_blank\">more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine\u2019s border<\/a> and other destabilizing acts pose \u201ca clear threat to international peace and security and the U.N. Charter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/global\/europe\/2022\/01\/26\/us-nato-deliver-counteroffers-to-russia-on-defusing-ukraine-war-prospects\/\" target=\"_blank\">that the response from the U.S. \u2014 and a similar one from NATO<\/a> \u2014 left \u201clittle ground for optimism.\u201d But he added that \u201cthere always are prospects for continuing a dialogue, it\u2019s in the interests of both us and the Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">White House press secretary Jen Psaki was circumspect when asked whether the Biden administration saw a sliver of hope in that the Russians said they would keep communications open even as they said that they lacked optimism..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe don\u2019t know if the Russians are playing games on diplomacy. We hope not,\u201d Psaki said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the U.S. response contained some elements that could lead to \u201cthe start of a serious talk on secondary issues,\u201d but emphasized that \u201cthe document contains no positive response on the main issue.\u201d Those are Moscow\u2019s demands that NATO not expand and that the alliance refrain from deploying weapons that might threaten Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lavrov said top officials will submit proposals to Putin. Peskov said the Russian reaction would come soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The evasive official comments reflect the fact that it is Putin who will single-handedly determine Russia\u2019s next moves. He has warned of unspecified \u201cmilitary-technical measures\u201d if the West refuses to heed the demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Peskov added that Putin and Biden will decide whether they need to have another conversation following two calls last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine\u2019s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv had seen the U.S. response before it was delivered to Russia and had no objections. He tweeted it was \u201cimportant that the U.S. remains in close contact with Ukraine before and after all contacts with Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On a visit to Denmark, Kuleba emphasized his country\u2019s need to strengthen its defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis crisis is a moment of truth, and this is why we speak about weapons,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is why we speak about economic sanctions. This is why we speak about the consolidated position of all of us, so that President Putin sees that there are no weak links in our defensive chain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Germany\u2019s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said during a parliamentary debate on Ukraine that her government is closely coordinating its policy with allies, considering a range of options that could include the new Nord Stream 2 Russian gas pipeline to Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the diplomacy sputters on, so too do maneuvers that have escalated tensions. Russia has launched a series of military drills involving motorized infantry and artillery units in southwestern Russia, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, dozens of warships in the Black Sea and the Arctic, and Russian fighter jets and paratroopers in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NATO said it was bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the U.S.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2022\/01\/24\/up-to-8500-us-troops-on-heightened-alert-in-case-of-russian-move-on-ukraine\/\">ordered 8,500 troops on higher alert<\/a>&nbsp;for potential deployment to Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2022\/01\/25\/more-troops-could-be-put-on-alert-for-ukraine-response\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP22020041850813.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">More troops could be put on alert for Ukraine response<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">The Pentagon is not ruling out putting more than the original 8,500 on alert.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As war fears mounted, thousands of Ukrainians expressed their resolve to stand up to the Russian pressure under the hashtag #UkrainiansWillResist on Twitter and Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one will force Ukrainians to accept the Kremlin ultimatum,\u201d wrote Andrii Levus, who initiated the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine\u2019s Interior Ministry has organized training on acting in emergency situations, with an emphasis on dealing with explosives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond concerns about a possible Russian offensive in Ukraine, there also has been speculation that Moscow\u2019s response&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/russia-ukraine-europe-russia-caribbean-moscow-4c5c1a7ee35198415532f6ca12cd40e3\">could include military deployments to the Western Hemisphere.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While a senior Russian diplomat recently refused to rule out such deployments to Cuba and Venezuela, a top Putin associate expressed skepticism Thursday at that prospect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCuba and Venezuela are aiming to come out of isolation and restore normal relations with the U.S. to a certain extent, so there can\u2019t be any talk about setting up a base there as happened during the Soviet times,\u201d Dmitry Medvedev, a deputy head of Russia\u2019s Security Council, told Russian media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While he charged that the West is using Ukraine as a way to contain Russia, he somberly acknowledged that a Russia-NATO conflict \u201cwould be the most dramatic and simply catastrophic scenario, and I hope it will never happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While concerns about a possible Russian attack linger, a separatist conflict simmers in Ukraine. Following the 2014 ouster of a Kremlin-friendly president in Kyiv, Moscow annexed Ukraine\u2019s Crimean Peninsula and backed an insurgency in the country\u2019s eastern industrial heartland. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels has killed over 14,000 people, and efforts to reach a settlement have stalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the conflict began, Russia has been accused of sending troops and weapons to the separatists, something it has denied. On Thursday, Peskov wouldn\u2019t comment on a proposal from the Kremlin\u2019s main political party, United Russia, which suggested that Moscow respond to the delivery of Western weapons to Ukraine by sending arms to the rebels. He added that Putin is aware of the proposal but had no immediate reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani and Matthew Lee in Washington, Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the U.S. and its NATO allies expressed concern about a buildup of approximately 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":61866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1290,248],"class_list":["post-30629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JUIMUOXTYFF2NJYQSH36PYFOHI","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/01\/27\/biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Biden says Russian invasion in February a \u2018distinct possibility\u2019 - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the U.S. and its NATO allies expressed concern about a buildup of approximately 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/ukraine\/2022\/01\/28\/biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biden says Russian invasion in February a \u2018distinct possibility\u2019\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the U.S. and its NATO allies expressed concern about a buildup of approximately 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/01\/28\/biden-says-russian-invasion-in-february-a-distinct-possibility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-01-28T01:36:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T06:06:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press, Nomaan Merchant, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press, Nomaan Merchant, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta 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