Russia-Ukraine: Biden briefed by security advisers as Russian commanders receive invasion orders
Violence has spiked in areas held by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine as more than 150,000 Russian troops remain along the border, but Russian forces have not yet invaded Ukraine
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A U.S. official has warned the United Nations that Russia has compiled a list of Ukrainians "to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation."
Bathsheba Crocker, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, sent a letter to the UN human rights chief, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
"I would like to bring to your attention disturbing information recently obtained by the United States that indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned," Crocker wrote. "These acts, which in past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the use of torture, would likely target those who oppose Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons."
"Specifically, we have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation," she warned. "We also have credible information that Russian forces will likely use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations."
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is pushing back on Russian demands and said flatly that "Ukraine is seeking membership in NATO" during an episode of CBS' "60 minutes."
Kuleba told CBS' Lesley Stahl that Ukraine is not backing down on its ambitions to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on an episode of "60 Minutes" that aired on Sunday.
He also said that Ukraine is not sending "signals" that it's willing to back down on its ambition to join NATO in an effort to meet one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's demands.
"We are not sending such signals," Kuleba said, responding to a question from Stahl. "The majority of Ukrainians want Ukraine to become a member of NATO."
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Former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor said that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is surprised by the unity between Ukraine and other countries, and is 'looking for a way out.'
"President Zelenskyy and President Biden are standing firm. But I believe President Putin is surprised by that unity. I believe he's surprised by the unity between the Americans and Ukrainians, between Ukrainians and the Europeans along NATO. He is surprised at that unity, and my bet is that he's looking for a way out," Taylor said.
The comments were made during a "Stand With Ukraine" rally in Washington, D.C.
However, Taylor said that Putin "won't give up on Ukraine."
"Even if Putin doesn't invade Ukraine now, next week, next month, even if he doesn't, even if he goes to the negotiations, as I hope he will. He won't give up on Ukraine. He won't give up on trying to subordinate Ukraine, trying to bring Ukraine back into the Russian world, as we have heard earlier. He will not give up. He may stand down for now. But he won't stand down forever, he'll be back, what that means is this group," Taylor said.
Vice President Kamala Harris warned that Americans could feel some "costs" of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, unwelcome news to many who are already bearing the costs of soaring inflation.
"When America stands for principles, and all of the things that we hold dear, it requires sometimes for us to put ourselves out there in a way that maybe we will incur some cost," Harris said Sunday after a meeting with NATO leaders in Germany.
Harris said some of the costs to hit American pocket books "may relate to energy cost," with Russia being one of the world's leading producers of oil.
The vice president's comments come as Americans have already seen prices on common good rise thanks to a four-decade high in inflation, according to the consumer price index. Those price increases have been spread across almost all common goods, including medical care, clothing, transportation, food, and shelter.
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President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to "the principle" to meet for a summit discussing "security and strategic stability in Europe," but will only take place if Russia does not invade Ukraine.
The summit will be discussed by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their meeting on Thursday.
The potential summit was announced by French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, and a press release states that the summit "can only be held at the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine."
The announcement comes just hours after Fox News confirmed that Russian commanders have been given orders to carry out an invasion of Ukraine.
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Speaking with reporters before returning to Washington D.C. on Sunday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris said that there is a "real possibility of war" in Europe.
“We’re talking about the potential for war in Europe. I mean, let’s really take a moment to understand the significance of what we’re talking about,” Harris said. "We are talking about the real possibility of war in Europe.”
Harris' comments come after the Munich Security Conference, where she said that European security was under a "direct threat" by the rising tensions on the Ukraine-Russian border.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
President Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron about Russia's military buildup on the borders of Ukraine, discussing diplomacy and deterrence efforts in response, according to a readout of the call.
"President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France today. They discussed ongoing diplomacy and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s military buildup on the borders of Ukraine," the readout read.
The U.S. has intelligence that Russian commanders have received orders to proceed with an invasion of Ukraine, Fox News has confirmed.
Commanders on the ground have made specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sectors of the battlefield.
Fox News' Jennifer Griffin contributed to this report.
President Biden concluded a secure call French President Emmanuel Macron at 3:47 p.m. EST Sunday.
The call lasted around 15 minutes.
The White House announced that President Biden held a meeting with the National Security Council Sunday afternoon amid heightening tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
The White House tweeted out a photo of Biden meeting with Defense Secretary Gen. Lloyd Austin and State Secretary to discuss the latest developments regarding Russia’s military build-up on the borders of Ukraine.
Biden was set to travel to Delaware but that trip was canceled in light of new developments from Russia, including Moscow's decision to keep troops in Belarus.
Protesters gathered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as part of the #StandWithUkraine protest to show solidarity with the European nation.
Similar protests took place in Krakow, Poland and Lyon, France.
Russia's foreign ministry announced Sunday that troops would remain in Belarus after the conclusion of military exercises over concerns of “escalation of the situation” in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine.
President Biden will travel to Delaware Monday despite initially deciding to stay in Washington D.C. over the weekend.
The president will travel to Wilmington for Presidents Day after meeting with national security aides on Sunday. He is also expected to speak to French President Emmanuel Macron at some point during the long weekend as tensions continue to flare between Russia and Ukraine.
The move comes after the Kremlin lashed out at NATO Sunday after Russian President Vladimir Putin's call with Macron, with the Russian leader accusing NATO of further enflaming tensions by providing Ukraine with military assistance.
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday said of the current build-up of troops at the Ukrainian border that it appeared "Russia is preparing for an invasion of Ukraine" and stressed that while it is not too late for Moscow to change course against an armed attack, there is a "new normal in European security."
Stoltenberg's remarks come as President Biden has called an urgent meeting of his National Security Council Sunday.
"Last week, actually, Russia said that they will step back. Russia is stepping up with more troops and higher and even closer to the Ukrainian border," Stoltenberg, speaking from Brussels, told CBS’ "Face The Nation" host Margaret Brennan. "Also, the fact that this exercise, they said, should end today will now continue. So, all of this fits into the picture that Russia is preparing for an invasion of Ukraine."
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Ukrainian military reports 53 shellings today by Russian-backed forces from occupied Donbas on Ukraine, targeting the area around a railway stations and a school.
The shelling comes from residential areas in an effort to trigger retaliation and civilian casualties, the military claims.
The Ukrainian government continues to warn of “fake news” and “false flag” events that would provide the Russian military its pretext for invasion.
Fox News' Greg Palkot contributed to this report.
The Belarus Defense Minister Gen. Viktor Khrenin announced that Russian soldiers would stay after the completion of large-scale joint drills completed on Sunday.
He said the troops needed to remain out of concern over the “escalation of the situation” in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine, The Guardian reported.
Moscow had previously said it would return to garrison after the exercise ended. The exercises in Belarus included 30,000 combat troops, fighter jets and missile defense systems deployed along the Belarus border and within striking distance of Kyiv.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plea for the U.S. and allies to impose sanctions against Russia now, before it invades Ukraine, saying the U.S. will continue to take a diplomatic approach with Russia until "the tanks are actually moving, the planes are actually flying, the bombs are actually dropping."
During an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union" on Sunday, Blinken was asked to respond to Zelenskyy’s comments Saturday at a security conference in Munich, where the Ukrainian leader pleaded for global action against Russia as it appears poised for an imminent invasion.
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Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said Sunday that despite evidence that Russia is preparing to strike Ukraine, the U.S. remains committed to pursuing a diplomatic solution, and Kirby illustrated what negotiations with the Kremlin could look like.
In an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," Kirby said that the Biden administration has "made serious proposals about ways that we can change things we’re doing in Europe," in order to address concerns of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We have made serious proposals about ways that we can change things we’re doing in Europe to try to address the situation," Kirby said, adding that "some things are clearly off the table."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has assembled "the right kinds of things" to conduct a successful invasion, according to Secretary of Defense Gen. Lloyd Austin.
Austin told ABC's "This Week" that Putin has shown no signs of pulling back, and he does not believe that the threat of invasion is any kind of political "bluff."
"I don't think it's a bluff," Austin said. "I think he's assembled the right kinds of things you would need to conduct a successful invasion."
"If they were redeploying to garrison, we wouldn't be seeing the kinds of things in terms of not only combat power but of logistical support, medical support, combat aviation we've seen."
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told “Fox News Sunday” that Biden’s election served as the best opening Putin could hope for to press his agenda.
“I authored sanctions, bipartisan sanctions in Congress, they passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities,” Cruz said. “That pipeline was dead for over a year until Joe Biden became president, and Putin began building that pipeline again … four days after Biden was sworn into office.”
“I gotta say, Bill, Joe Biden becoming President is the best thing that ever happened, tragically, for Vladimir Putin,” he added.
Russia extended military drills near Ukraine's northern borders Sunday amid increased fears that two days of sustained shelling along the contact line between soldiers and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine could spark an invasion.
The exercises, originally set to end Sunday, brought a sizable contingent of Russian forces to neighboring Belarus, which borders Ukraine to the north. The presence of the Russian troops raised concern that they could be used to sweep down on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The announcement came from the defense minister of Belarus, who said the two countries would "continue testing the response forces."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Political strategists on both sides of the aisle minimized the effect that the Russia-Ukraine crisis could have on the 2022 midterm elections, with the caveat that a Russian invasion could be seen as another foreign policy failure for President Biden.
Voters tend to vote on domestic issues, the strategists said, and while Biden could receive positive marks if he helps to avert disaster in Ukraine, it's unlikely his party would be able to translate it into electoral gains.
"It would be a good thing for him and a good thing for the country, but it’s not going to flip the fundamentals," Fox News contributor Karl Rove explained to Fox News Digital. "The fundamentals are so bad that the effect is not going to flip this thing. People are making a broader and bigger judgment about him."
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Military officials in Ukraine reported two deaths and four injuries in the shelling that occurred Saturday.
"As a result of the shelling, two Ukrainian soldiers received explosive injuries inconsistent with life," the military command for separatist conflict said. "Four soldiers were injured in varying degrees of severity and are in medical facilities. The United Forces team expresses its sincere and deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims."
Fox News was not able to independently confirm the deaths.
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN on Sunday said that the U.S. and U.K.’s assessment of an imminent Russian invasion can’t be trusted because the countries’ intelligence agencies have had too many mistakes in the past.
"We don't trust the U.S. and British intelligence, they let us down, the whole world, on many occasions enough to remember weapons of mass destruction in Iraq," Dmitry Polyanskiy told Britain’s Sky News.
He also questioned where the Western nations were getting their assessments of the more than 150,000 Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, which he denied, claiming the country is just carrying out routine military drills.
"I don't think our drills on our territory should worry anyone," he told Sky, accusing the West of “scaremongering and warmongering."
He also claimed that an uptick of violence in eastern Ukrainian territory held by Russian-backed separatists is due to the Ukrainian government's shelling of a “peaceful” population. The West has warned Russia might use "false flag" attacks in the region as a pretense for an invasion.
Polyanskiy said Putin actually wants to meet with Western leaders around the negotiating table to "see what we can do for security and guarantees for Russia's absolutely legitimate concerns".
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson briefs the media during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, Pool)
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned this weekend that Russia may be preparing for the “biggest war in Europe since 1945” based on the evidence.
“You’re looking at not just an invasion through the east, through the Donbas, but according to the intelligence that we’re seeing, coming down from the north, down from Belarus and actually encircling Kyiv itself,” Johnson told BBC News at the Munich Security Conference in an interview that aired Sunday morning. “I think people need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail."
Johnson threatened sanctions that he said would hit Russia “very, very hard,” including stopping the country from "trading in pounds and dollars" with the cooperation of the United States.
He also agreed with President Biden’s assessment that an invasion could be imminent.
"I'm afraid that that is what the evidence points to, there's no burnishing it,” he told the BBC. "The fact is that all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun."
President Joe Biden, leaves Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown section of Washington, after attending a Mass, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
President Biden will meet with the National Security Council on Sunday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
On Friday, the president said he was "convinced" by U.S. intelligence that Vladimir Putin had made the decision to invade.
"President Biden continues to monitor the evolving situation in Ukraine, and is being updated regularly about events on the ground by his national security team," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement Saturday. "They reaffirmed that Russia could launch an attack against Ukraine at any time."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him to discuss a diplomatic solution to mounting tensions in the region amid increasing violence in areas of eastern Ukraine held by Russian-backed separatists.
“I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants, so I am proposing a meeting,” Zelenskyy said at the Munich Security Conference. "Ukraine will continue to follow only the diplomatic path for the sake of a peaceful settlement.”
The Kremlin did not appear to have responded yet.
Sporadic violence has broken out for years along the line separating Ukrainian forces from the Russia-backed rebels, but the recent shelling and bombing spike could set off a full-scale war and U.S. officials have warned Russia might use it as a pretext to invade.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers his speech during the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Saturday urged Western leaders to specify what consequences they would impose on Russia if the country invades.
“Action is needed,” he said at the Munich Security Conference, noting that it will be too late after a war starts, according to the Washington Post.
“This is not about war in Ukraine, this is about war in Europe,” he said.
Zelenskyy also accused Western leaders of “appeasement,” while arguing they haven’t been forceful enough with President Vladimir Putin.
Vice President Kamala Harris at the conference Saturday morning promised Russia “economic measures that will be swift and severe” if it invaded Ukraine but she didn’t get into specifics.
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