Ukraine crisis
\n Washington
\nUS President Joe Biden has warned there is a \u201cdistinct possibility\u201d Russia might invade Ukraine next month, the White House says. Russia meanwhile says it sees \u201clittle ground for optimism\u201d in resolving the crisis after the US rejected Russia\u2019s main demands.
\nThe build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops on Ukraine\u2019s borders in recent weeks has stoked fears of an invasion. Russia denies it is planning an attack.
\nThe US president made the comments in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. \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.
\n\u201cHe has said this publicly and we have been warning about this for months.\u201d During their talk, President Biden \u201creaffirmed the readiness of the United States along with its allies and partners to respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine\u201d, a White House statement said.
\nMr Zelensky said they \u201cdiscussed recent diplomatic efforts on de-escalation and agreed on joint actions for the future\u201d.
\nAxios, citing unnamed sources, suggested the two disagreed on how imminent the threat was. Some military experts suggest Russia may be waiting for the ground in Ukraine to freeze so they can move in heavy equipment.
\nAnother important phone call will take place on Friday, when French President Emmanuel Macron speaks directly with Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin.
\nIf Russia were to invade Ukraine, it would not be the first time. Russia annexed Ukraine\u2019s southern Crimea peninsula in 2014. It is also backing rebels who seized large swathes of the eastern Donbas region soon afterwards, and some 14,000 people have died in fighting there.
\nAlso on Thursday, the US threatened to halt the opening of a key pipeline that would send Russian gas to Western Europe if Russia invades Ukraine.
\nNord Stream 2 would run from Russia to Germany, and on Thursday officials in Berlin said the project could face sanctions if Russia attacks.
\nWestern allies say they will target Russia\u2019s economy if it invades, and the latest comments signal a hardening of their stance.
\nThe 1,225km (760-mile) pipeline took five years to build and cost $11bn (\u00a38bn). The energy project, which would run under the Baltic Sea, is designed to double Russia\u2019s gas exports to Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ukraine crisis Washington US President Joe Biden has warned there is a \u201cdistinct possibility\u201d Russia might invade Ukraine next month, the White House says. Russia meanwhile says it sees \u201clittle ground for optimism\u201d in resolving the crisis after the US rejected Russia\u2019s main demands. The build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops on Ukraine\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[458,503,338,456],"class_list":{"0":"post-241346","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"tag-invade","9":"tag-joe-biden","10":"tag-russia","11":"tag-ukraine"},"yoast_head":"\n