U.S. citizens warned to leave Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin could order an invasion of Ukraine any day, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. He said any Americans in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible. Early next week, an additional 3,000 U.S. troops from Fort Bragg, N.C., will join 1,700 already arriving in Poland to back up NATO allies in Europe, a senior defense official said on Friday.

What will the additional troops do? President Joe Biden said the U.S. troops will not enter or engage in combat in Ukraine. They are there to train alongside local forces and provide deterrence. The Pentagon has also relocated forces from Germany to Romania in response to Russia’s pileup of troops along its border with Ukraine. Biden has committed $650 million in aid to Ukraine and threatened sanctions against Russia if it invades.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta’s report in The Sift about arguments between diplomats from Russia and the United States during a recent UN Security Council meeting.