Shelling In Ukraine As Biden Warns Of Invasion
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – There were reports of shelling in war-torn eastern Ukraine Thursday as U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Russia is looking for an excuse to invade its neighbor.
Up to 150,000 Russian troops were near Ukraine’s borders, and a U.S. security official told Worthy News that Russian special forces are in Ukraine’s Donbas region.
In Washington, U.S. President Biden said Russia said the threat of an attack is “very high” as Moscow wanted to provoke a reason for an invasion.
He told reporters that an invasion could be launched in the coming days after a U.S diplomat told Worthy News it could even happen around the Winter Olympics or shortly after that.
But Biden stressed that a diplomatic solution was still possible. Yet Western allies warned that reports of shelling in Ukraine’s Donbas region underscored a Russian “false-flag” effort. Some 14,000 people have been killed in an ongoing conflict between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian government forces.
Russia says reports of an escalation in violence are concerning but accuses the West of “hysteria.” The Kremlin said earlier that it has “no intention” to invade Ukraine.
However, after Russian President Vladimir Putin said he “does not want a war in Europe,” at least some 7,000 extra Russian troops arrived at Ukraine’s borders in recent days, according to a White House source.
Several sources spoke on condition of anonymity to Worthy News and other media to discuss sensitive issues as they were not authorized to speak openly to media.
Moscow expelled a senior U.S. diplomat to Moscow as tensions continued to rise over the crisis.
Amid the ongoing East-West standoff, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Thursday that joining the NATO military alliance would guarantee his country’s security.
However, Russia has demanded that NATO will halt eastwards expansion, including towards Ukraine. The West says those demands are unacceptable.
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