Acting US Ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien warned on Sunday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be “disastrous”.
“Ultimately, President Putin has to decide not to take a path that will be disastrous,” Kvien told ABC's "This Week" in an interview.
A Russian invasion, she added, would have repercussions for both sides with both countries seeing casualties and Moscow facing “devastating sanctions” from the US and other countries.
“Disastrous for Ukraine, of course, with the potential for thousands of casualties, but also disastrous for Russia, not only because Ukraine will fight and Russia will face casualties too, but also because Russia will face devastating sanctions by the United States and other partners and allies if they take this path,” said Kvien.
Asked if she believes Russia will invade Ukraine, Kvien said she agrees with President Joe Biden’s assessment that such a situation “it is likely to happen” and that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has made a decision.”
Meanwhile on Sunday, the US cited intelligence reports saying that Russian military officers have already received orders to launch the invasion of Ukraine.
Later on Sunday, the US embassy in Moscow warned Americans of potential attacks in public places in Russia, including along the border with Ukraine.
The embassy told Americans in Russia to "avoid crowds" and "have evacuation plans that do not rely on US government assistance".
At the same time, satellite imagery from US company Maxar revealed that there have been multiple new field deployments of armored equipment and troops in Russia near the border with Ukraine.