US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told NBC Nightly News that everything seems to be in place for Russian forces to mount a full-scale attack on Ukraine before the night is over.
He said that Russia has positioned its forces at the final point of readiness across the borders of Ukraine, but he could not say when that might happen.
Everything seems to be in place for Russia to engage in a major aggression against Ukraine, according to Tony Blinken.
A senior defense official said on Wednesday that a large-scale attack on Ukraine may be imminent, explaining that Russian forces are as ready as they can be.
The official said that Russian forces are ready to go now.
The secretary of state said there is still time to avert a major aggression, although they are in their final stages of being able to engage in one.
Russia has a lot of capability, warned the senior defense official. According to the Department of Defense, Ukrainians may be facing between 160,000 and 190,000 Russian troops and a range of capabilities such as missiles, armor, and special forces.
The US will respond in kind if Russia escalates the situation.
He told NBC Nightly News at the end of the day, if that doesn't stop President Putin, we've made very clear along with all of our allies and partners that there will be massive consequences going forward, a price that Russia will have to pay.
The secretary's comments come on the heels of a powerful speech by the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who appealed to the people of Russia for peace after his call to Putin was met with silence.
Two days after Putin signed a decree recognizing the independence of two Kremlin-backed rebel regions, Ukraine was declared a national state of emergency. The US warned that the move was part of Russia's plan to invade Ukraine.
The US, together with allies and partners, has already begun imposing sanctions on what it called the beginning of an invasion as Putin ordered some troops into eastern Ukraine.
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