The US has warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “horrific” for both sides, while calling for a diplomatic solution as tensions over Moscow’s military buildup on the border of the country continued to simmer.
Speaking at the Pentagon on Friday, top US officials urged a focus on diplomacy while saying that Russia now had enough troops and equipment in place to threaten the whole of Ukraine.
Any such conflict, warned the top US general, Mark Milley, would be “horrific” for both sides.
“If that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties,” Milley said.
“It would be horrific, it will be terrible,” the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff added.
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Speaking alongside Milley, US defense secretary Lloyd Austin said the buildup of Russian forces along Ukraine’s border has reached the point where Putin now has a complete range of military options, including actions short of a full-scale invasion.
But Austin said war in Ukraine could still be avoided.
“Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy,” said Austin.
“Mr Putin can do the right thing as well,” he said. “There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict. He can choose to de-escalate. He can order his troops away.”
On Friday, US president Joe Biden said he would send a small number of US troops to eastern European and Nato countries “in the near term”.
The Pentagon has already placed about 8,500 US troops on stand-by for possible deployment to Europe amid Russia’s military build-up near Ukraine’s border.
“I’ll be moving troops to eastern Europe and the Nato countries in the near term. Not too many,” Biden told reporters on return to Washington from a speech in Philadelphia. /theguardian.com
