Biden: Every indication Russia prepared to attack Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre left, sees NLAW anti-tank weapons during a military drill near Rivne on Wednesday. Pic/AP

U.S. President Joe Biden warned Thursday that Russia could still invade Ukraine within days and Russia expelled the No. 2 diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, as tensions flared anew in the worst East-West standoff in decades.

NATO allies accused Russia of misleading the world by saying it was returning some troops to bases but instead moved in thousands of new ones. The pullout pledge was among Russian gestures this week that briefly cooled temperatures. Russia is believed to have some 1,50,000 military forces around Ukraine's borders, raising fears of a new war in Europe. Tensions also spiked Thursday along the line that separates Ukrainian forces from Russia-backed separatists, with each accusing the other of intensive shelling.

In a surprise blow to diplomacy, Russia ordered deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, Bart Gorman, to leave the country, the State Department said. It called the move "unprovoked" and "an escalatory step." Russia did not say why he was expelled.

Doubts escalated in the West over what exactly Russia is doing with its troops around Ukraine - including an estimated 60% of the overall Russian ground forces - and about President Vladimir Putin's overall intentions. Biden's comments on the Russian threat were some of his starkest to date, suggesting the administration's perilous assessment of the situation.

Speaking at the White House, he said Washington saw no signs of a Russian withdrawal, and said the threat of invasion remains "very high" because Russia has moved more troops toward the border with Ukraine instead of pulling them out. "Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine, attack Ukraine," he told reporters. He said the U.S. has "reason to believe" Russia is "engaged in a false flag operation to have an excuse to go in," but did not provide details. Biden said he had "no plans" to speak soon to Putin.

Russia held an offer of diplomacy, handing the U.S. a response Thursday to offers to engage in talks on limiting missile deployments in Europe, restrictions on military drills and other confidence-building measures. The response, released by the Foreign Ministry, deplored the West's refusal to meet the main Russian security and demands and reaffirmed Moscow could take unspecified "military-technical measures" if U.S. and its allies continue to stonewall its concerns. It also said Russia was ready to discuss limits on missile deployments, restrictions on patrol flights by strategic bombers and other confidence-building steps.

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