President Joe Biden announced Friday he was fully convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine and attack their capital city.
“As of this moment, I’m convinced he has made the decision,” Biden said during his latest assertion of a coming Russian offensive. “I have reason to believe that.”
For weeks, Biden and his administration have repeatedly warned that Putin was preparing to invade the country, but nothing has happened, although Russian troops continue massing at the borders of Ukraine.
He said Russian troops would invade in the coming days.
“We believe they will target Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million Ukrainian people,” Biden said.
When questioned on his assertion about an invasion, he repeated the United States had “a significant intelligence capability.”
The president repeated the United States would not send troops into Ukraine but would fortify surrounding member nations of NATO.
Biden said it might be “wise” for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to leave the country, but said it was “his decision” to make.
He did not share any new intelligence but repeated to reporters he was positive that Putin had decided to invade.
Biden called Putin’s decision a “catastrophic and needless war of choice” and said Russia would pay a “steep price” for it.
When asked about Russia’s recent military nuclear weapons drills, Biden admitted he was not sure what he was planning but was not likely to use nuclear weapons.
“It’s hard to read his mind,” he said.
Biden will remain at the White House this weekend, officials said, foregoing his usual trip home to Delaware. Vice President Kamala Harris is in Germany attending the Munich Security Conference.