After weeks of saying the US wasn't sure if Putin had made the final decision to launch a widespread invasion, Joe Biden says that assessment had changed.
US President Joe Biden said Friday he's "convinced" that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to launch a further invasion in Ukraine, saying he has "reason to believe" it will occur in the "coming days" and will include an assault on its capital, Kyiv.
After weeks of saying the US wasn't sure if Putin had made the final decision to launch a widespread invasion, Biden said that assessment had changed.
"As of this moment I'm convinced he's made the decision," Biden said. "We have reason to believe that." He cited the United States' "significant intelligence capability" for the assessment.
Biden reiterated his threat of massive economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia if it does invade, and pressed Putin to rethink his course of action. He said the US and its Western allies were more united than ever to ensure Russia pays a price for the invasion.
(With PTI inputs)