Biden tells allies Russia may attack Ukraine on February 16 - paper - TASS

During a conversation with his Transatlantic allies on Friday, US President Joe Biden claimed Russia may attack Ukraine on February 16, the Politico newspaper said, citing own sources.

The leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Poland, Romania and France, as well as the NATO secretary general and the president of the European Commission took part in the talks.

According to Politico, the US leader told his counterparts that, in US opinion, the ‘invasion’ could be preceded by missile strikes and cyber attacks. One of the paper’s sources said the call of the leaders indicated that cyberattacks were "imminent," while another said intelligence reports were "specific and alarming."

In turn, an unnamed UK source said London had "a different interpretation" of the alleged February 16 attack. Two European Union diplomats shared even more skeptical views, with one saying they "still refuse to buy it." "It [attacking Ukraine] would be such a mistake <…> War is costly," he was quoted as saying.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that the alleged Russian invasion could begin at any time, including "during the [Beijing] Olympics, despite a lot of speculation that it would only happen after the Olympics." "We are not saying that a decision has been taken," he added.