President Joe Biden is slated to deliver an “update” on the ongoing stand-off between Russia and Ukraine.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki tweeted, “[Biden’s] remarks will provide an update on events related to Ukraine, not announce new policy.”
“He will speak about the situation on the ground, the steps we have taken, the actions we are prepared to take, what’s at stake for the US and the world and how this may impact us at home,” she added.
@POTUS remarks will provide an update on events related to Ukraine, not announce new policy. He will speak about the situation on the ground, the steps we have taken, the actions we are prepared to take, what’s at stake for the US and the world and how this may impact us at home.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) February 15, 2022
Biden’s remarks are scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m. and come hours after Russia said it is pulling back some troops from near Ukraine’s border now that their military exercises are complete. However, it said that other major military exercises are continuing.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance had not seen “any sign of deescalation on the ground.” Still, he said there was cause for “cautious optimism” amid “signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue.”
That comes after Russian state television showed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov telling Russian President Vladimir Putin that “possibilities” for diplomatic negotiations are “far from exhausted.”
“I would propose continuing and intensifying them,” he added.
Putin responded, “Good.”
Russia has amassed roughly 130,000 soldiers on Ukraine’s border, sparking concerns that it is planning an invasion. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday that an invasion could take place “any day now.”
Additionally, on Monday, the U.S. temporarily relocated its embassy operations from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv, as IJR reported.
On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry and at least two Ukrainian banks were hit with a cyber attack.