US National Security Adviser: We Believe It Is Possible Vladimir Putin Ordered Attack On Ukraine

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - Russia could invade Ukraine within days or weeks but could still choose a diplomatic route, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.

"We are in the window. Every day now, Russia can take military action against Ukraine, or maybe a few weeks from now, or Russia can choose to take a diplomatic route instead," Sullivan told the 'Fox News Sunday' program. February.

Sullivan made the comments in a television interview after two US officials on Saturday said Russia had about 70 percent of the fighting force it believed would be needed for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Any possible Russian action could include the annexation of Ukraine's Donbass region, where Russia-backed separatists broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014, cyber-attacks or a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sullivan added, saying Russia could act as soon as possible on Monday as well. week.

"We believe there is a very clear possibility that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine," he told ABC's "This Week."

"It could take many forms. It could happen tomorrow, or it could take a few more weeks. He has put himself in a position with military deployments to be able to act aggressively against Ukraine at any time now," Sullivan added.

As Russia amassed more than 100,000 troops near the border, Moscow said it was not planning an invasion but could take unspecified military action if its security demands were not met.

That includes a pledge that NATO will never recognize Ukraine, a request the United States and NATO have called unacceptable.

Meanwhile, asked if a Russian invasion was possible, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told CNN in an interview: "We are still working to prevent Russia from making the wrong choice in choosing confrontation."