defense

The Pentagon’s top officials warned Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would result in a “horrific” aftermath.

The Kremlin has denied that the troop deployment is a prelude to an attack and has instead characterized the movement as a military exercise.

It would be “insane” for Russia to invade Ukraine, but that scenario is “not impossible,” said Carl Bildt, a former prime minister of Sweden.

Recent tensions between Russia and Ukraine have drawn comparisons to the early stages of a conflict that began eight years ago.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. laid out a “a serious diplomatic path forward” should Russia choose against invading Ukraine.

Deliveries of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner plane have been paused for most of the last 15 months.

Last week, President Biden said “a disaster” awaits Russia after intelligence agencies warned that an attack on Ukraine could happen within a month.

President Biden is considering sending U.S. troops to Eastern Europe amid the rapidly deteriorating security situation on Ukraine’s border with Russia.

It’s “a possibility” that Russia will invade Ukraine, “but I think [Putin] is afraid of the response,” said a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.

The State Department also ordered eligible family members of personnel at its embassy in Kyiv to leave the country due to the deteriorating security conditions.

“We’ve given Russia two paths. There’s a path of diplomacy and dialogue… But there’s also a path of its renewed aggression and massive consequences,” Blinken said.

NATO and G-7 members have previously pledged their support for Ukraine amid Russia’s aggressive military buildup.

Secretary of State Blinken told his Russian counterpart that the Kremlin could defuse concerns about an invasion by moving troops away from Ukraine’s borders.

“My guess is [Putin] will move in, he has to do something,” Biden said when asked about the more than 100,000 Russian troops positioned along Ukraine’s border.

“Russia needs to reinvent itself as a modern state,” Vsevolod Chentsov, the Ukrainian ambassador to the EU, told CNBC Tuesday.

The Kremlin has previously denied that it was preparing for an invasion of Ukraine.

“It’s turning out now to be a mistake, because as you said the fourth missile test today. And I’m sure there’ll be more,” says Anthony Ruggiero from the FDD.

The Chinese government has previously denied any wrongdoing or human rights abuses in Xinjiang.

The new time frame signals how imminent the White House believes a Russian attack could be, and how urgent it is to negotiate a peaceful solution.

Russia is amassing troops on its border with Ukraine. The U.S. and its allies plan to use economic sanctions to deter an invasion. Here’s how they work.