Russia now appears to be almost fully prepared to invade Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin has reportedly assembled 70% of the military personnel and weapons he would need for a full-scale invasion.
The country has denied plans for an invasion, though Putin has threatened 'appropriate retaliatory military-technical measures' if the West continues with what he has reportedly described as an aggressive approach in forming a relationship between Ukraine and European institutions.
Thousands of Russian troops are positioned within reach of Ukraine's borders, and latest intelligence assessments indicate that Putin is more than two-thirds of the way to establishing what would be needed to attack.
The 70% figure is an estimate cited by CNN from two US officials familiar with the latest figures, though the officials have not specified the intelligence they had or how they developed their assessments. Still, it indicates a continuation of the buildup of Russian forces on the border, with some assessments calculating there could be tens of thousands of civilian casualties in Ukraine if Putin moves ahead.
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Following news of the estimated figure, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan warned that 'if war breaks out, it will come at an enormous human cost to Ukraine, but we believe that based on our preparations and our response, it will come at a strategic cost to Russia as well.'
It's unclear how long it would take the Russian president to assemble the total amount of forces necessary, but on Sunday, February 6, Sullivan told the Fox News Sunday programme that Russia could move forward 'any day now'.
He commented: 'We are in the window. Any day now, Russia could take military action against Ukraine, or it could be a couple of weeks from now, or Russia could choose to take the diplomatic path instead.'
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Pentagon press secretary John Kirby has acknowledged the Russian president 'continues to add forces, combined arms, offensive capabilities', and said he has shown 'no signs of being interested or willing to deescalate the tensions.'
Last week, President Joe Biden formally approved the deployment of 3,000 US troops to Poland, Germany and Romania as a show of support to NATO allies feeling threatening by Russia's military buildup, though Kirby stressed that the moves were not permanent and said the forces are 'not going to fight in Ukraine'.
Meanwhile, French president Emmanuel Macron has expressed belief that a deal to avoid war in Ukraine is within reach. Macron is set to hold talks with Putin in Moscow this week.
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Topics: World News, Politics, Vladimir Putin, Russia, Joe Biden