President's 48 hour countdown: Europe facing war 'any day now'
In an extraordinary address to his nation, the Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has defiantly warned his countrymen and women that Russia could invade within 48 hours.
Mr Zelenskiy said he had heard Wednesday (local time) could be the day of a Russian invasion, and proclaimed it would be a day of Ukrainian national unity.
"They tell us February 16 will be the day of the attack. We will make it a day of unity," he said in a video address to the nation.
"They are trying to frighten us by yet again naming a date for the start of military action.
He signed an order to hang out national flags and wear yellow and blue banners on that day instead, he added.
The Ukrainian leader, who has tended to play down suggestions that an attack is imminent, did not say who had suggested the particular date. However, several US news organisations reported last week that Washington believed that was the date when Russian forces would be ready if Putin gives the order to invade.
After the address set alarm bells ringing and generated headlines around the world, Mr Zelenskiy later clarified he was referring to news reports about the date, rather than internal or western intelligence, suggesting his government did not agree.
Russia suggested on Monday it was ready to keep talking to the West to try to defuse the security crisis, while the United States said Moscow was adding to its military capabilities by the day, and growing its military presence along the border, for a potential attack on Ukraine.
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Over the weekend, Australia joined a number of Western countries in evacuating its embassy in Kyiv as the situation deteriorated.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison also called on China to not remain "chillingly silent" on the crisis as observers in the West raise concerns about the growing strategic alliance between the two autocratic superpowers, dubbed The Dragon-Bear Alliance.
Ukraine has since criticised countries like Australia for relocating their embassies in the country.
Russia has more than 100,000 troops massed near the border of Ukraine. It denies Western accusations that it is planning an invasion, but says it could take unspecified "military-technical" action unless a range of demands are met, including barring Kyiv from ever joining the NATO alliance with US-led Western countries.
Russia could invade 'any day now', US says
While Russian leader Vladimir Putin continues to deny an invasion is imminent, Washington has said Russia could invade Ukraine "any day now".
Putin is adding more military force and capability near Ukraine's border with each passing day, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby told MSNBC in an interview on Monday (local time).
"This is a military that continues to grow stronger, continues to grow more ready. They're exercising, so we believe that he has a lot of capabilities and options available to him should he want to use military force," Kirby said.
Western countries have already promised sanctions on an unprecedented scale if Russia does invade. The Group of Seven large economies (G7) warned of "economic and financial sanctions which will have massive and immediate consequences on the Russian economy".
with Reuters
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