The US is on alert regarding the rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine. President Joe Biden has reportedly ordered his national security team to take immediate action in deterring any potential attempts by Russia to invade Ukraine.
A report by CNN reveals that Biden instructed his national security team to take immediate action and do whatever is necessary to deter any potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This follows months of diplomatic attempts to warn Moscow against occupying Ukraine, keen on avoiding a situation like the sudden annexation of Crimea in 2014. The response started back in the fall when CIA director Bill Burns traveled to Moscow and warned Russian President Vladimir Putin against making any move towards invading Ukraine.
“What we have been doing is very calculated,” an official told the network. “But we only have about a four-hour week window from now” in order to succeed.
Following the reports of a buildup of Russian troops at the border it shares with Ukraine, discreet diplomatic attempts have shifted towards stark warnings to Russia that they would face harsh sanctions for making such moves. Increased US military assistance to Ukraine was also part of the warnings against Russia. Top Biden administration officials have described the sanctions as “above and beyond” the response given to Russia when it annexed Crimea.
“The sanctions we imposed on Russia in 2014 were largely intended to inhibit the medium-to-long term development of specific Russian state-owned firms by restricting their access to US capital markets and technology,” said a White House official.
In other related news, Biden was seen visiting the graves of his first wife and daughter over the weekend in Delaware, marking the anniversary of their deaths. Biden’s first wife, Neilia, and their 13-month daughter Naomi were killed in a car crash in December of 1972. Their sons, Beau Biden and Hunter Biden were seriously injured in the accident.
The US leader was joined by his wife, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, son Hunter Biden, daughter Ashley Biden, and their grandchildren. Beau Biden, who passed away in 2015 from brain cancer, is also buried at the cemetery.