The White House national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned on Monday that a Russian attack on Ukraine would be “extremely violent” judging by the data available to the US intelligence services.
In an interview on the NBC television channel, Sullivan assured that an operation of the magnitude that the Russians are preparing would be extremely violent, with both civilian and military deaths on both sides.
According to Sullivan, the attack would trigger an armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine that would not be limited to a “conventional war” between two armies, but that Russia would seek to “repress, crush and harm” the Ukrainian people.
The president’s national security adviser Joe Biden insisted that the attack could take place in a matter of hours, something the White House has been saying for weeks.
The hypothesis of a summit between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, aimed at redirecting the crisis around Ukraine, has been ruled out for now by Moscow, while tension continues, fueled by skirmishes in the area.
French President Emmanuel Macron proposed Sunday to the leaders of Russia and the United States to hold a summit on security in Europe, while his Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian holds contacts with his American counterparts. , Antony Blinken, and Russian, Sergei Lavrov.
The option of a meeting at the highest level between the Americans and the Russians, however, does not seem close.
“Of course, we do not rule it out. If necessary, the presidents of Russia and the United States can decide at any time to maintain contacts, either by phone or physically. It will be their decision,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said today.
But he stressed that at this time there are no specific plans for a possible summit, and therefore it is premature to talk about it. “Right now there is a clear understanding of the need to continue the dialogue at the ministerial level” and, thus, he took it for granted that Lavrov and Blinken will meet this week.