Biden: Russian troops remain in 'a threatening position' for an invasion of Ukraine

President Biden said Tuesday that Russian troops remain in “a threatening position” along the border with Ukraine despite assertions from the Kremlin that it had begun repositioning its forces.

In remarks delivered from the White House, Biden offered an update on the tense standoff between Russia and Ukraine, and acknowledged a statement issued earlier Tuesday by Russia’s Ministry of Defense, which announced that Moscow had begun pulling back some troops from the Ukrainian border.

“That would be good, but we have not yet verified that,” Biden said. “Indeed, our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position. And the fact remains, right now Russia has more than 150,000 troops encircling Ukraine in Belarus and along Ukraine’s border.”

While Biden said a Russian invasion of Ukraine is “still very much a possibility,” he insisted that the U.S. is committed to pursuing a diplomatic path in order to de-escalate tensions and avoid a military conflict.

U.S. officials have been sounding the alarm for weeks about the buildup of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine. On Sunday, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned that Moscow appeared ready to launch a “major military action” against Ukraine “any day now,” citing an acceleration of the troop buildup and movements of Russian forces closer to the Ukrainian border in recent days.

In a televised exchange on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov sought to downplay the latest warnings of an imminent strike by signaling that they are still willing to engage in diplomatic negotiations with the West. On Tuesday, Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced that troops recently stationed near the Ukrainian border in Russia had completed their military exercises and were returning to their permanent bases, while those currently participating in military drills in Belarus, Ukraine’s neighbor to the north, would do the same when their exercises end on Feb. 20.

But not everyone was convinced by Russia’s reassurances. During a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that the alliance has “not seen any de-escalation on the ground, not any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders of Ukraine.”

“We will continue to monitor and follow closely what Russia is doing,” he added.

Diplomatic attempts by the U.S. and NATO allies to de-escalate tensions between Russia and Ukraine appeared to hit a wall late last month after the alliance delivered written responses to a number of Russian security demands. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the time that the document produced by Washington offered Russia “a diplomatic path forward,” but made clear that this path did not include concessions on the Kremlin’s primary demands, including the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe and the guarantee that Ukraine and other former Soviet-bloc countries would be prohibited from joining NATO.

Russian officials, meanwhile, have repeatedly denied that the Kremlin is planning to attack Ukraine, and accused the U.S. of “whipping up hysteria” during a meeting of the U.N. Security Council last month.

Biden reiterated Tuesday that while the U.S. is still willing to discuss a variety of proposals to address Russia’s security concerns, “we will not sacrifice basic principles.”

However, if Russia decides to proceed with military action, the president said, “we will rally the world to oppose its aggression.” The U.S. and NATO allies have prepared a range of economic sanctions to impose against Russia in the event of an attack.

Biden also noted that while he has promised not to send U.S. troops to fight in Ukraine, the U.S. military has supplied Kyiv with equipment, training and intelligence to defend itself against a Russian incursion. In recent weeks, the Pentagon has also sent a total of 5,000 U.S. troops to Europe to reassure its NATO allies that the U.S. will protect them against Russian aggression.

“Make no mistake, the U.S. will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said Tuesday.

That said, he insisted that the U.S. is “not seeking direct confrontation with Russia,” telling the citizens of Russia, “You are not our enemy. And I don't believe you want a bloody and destructive war with Ukraine.”

Yet he noted that a Russian attack on Ukraine “will also have consequences here at home,” including the likelihood of higher oil and gas prices.

As Yahoo News reported Monday, officials at the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned law enforcement, military and others charged with overseeing critical U.S. infrastructure to be prepared for potential Russian cyberattacks in conjunction with a possible invasion of Ukraine.

Biden confirmed in his remarks that Russian cyberattacks on the U.S. are possible.

“If Russia attacks the United States or our allies through asymmetric means like disruptive cyberattacks against our companies or critical infrastructure, we are prepared to respond,” Biden said.

While acknowledging those possible consequences, the president made the case that doing nothing to counter Russian aggression was not an option.

“I will not pretend this will be painless,” Biden said. But, he continued, “the American public understands that defending democracy is not without costs.”