BREAKING: White House says Russia could invade Ukraine within the week

The Biden administration over the weekend warned that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia may launch its first attack on Ukraine within a week.

According to the New York Times, U.S. intelligence officials initially thought Putin would wait until the end of the Winter Olympics, hosted in Beijing, China, before invading Russia’s neighboring country, so as to not anger China who is a critical ally. However, Putin’s timeline appears to be moving up.

Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security advisor, announced Friday that “We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.” He also said it was likely we would see an invasion that could begin “during the Olympics.” The Olympics are scheduled to end on February 20th. 

However, U.S. officials are uncertain if Putin has actually decided to invade. “We are ready either way. The West is more united than it has been in years,” Sullivan said.

The United States had picked up on intelligence that Russia was possibly setting next Wednesday as a target date for beginning military action. They have acknowledged that this could be Russia’s attempt at disinformation. Russia’s foreign ministry has since dismissed this announcement as American propaganda.