Biden 'convinced' Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, but 'until he does, diplomacy is always a possibility'

In remarks on the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine, President Biden told reporters on Friday that he is "convinced" Russian President Vladimir Putin has made up his mind to invade.

"As of this moment, I'm convinced he's made the decision. We have reason to believe that," Biden said, when asked if he thought Putin was leaning one way or another. As to a question about whether or not diplomacy is therefore still an option, Biden replied, "Until he does, diplomacy is always a possibility."

The U.S. has "signifcant intelligence capability" that's led officials to that conclusion, Biden added.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Kyiv and Moscow have been engaged in a delicate back and forth for weeks now, as Russian troops continue to threateningly gather en masse on Ukraine's border, despite Putin's repeated insistence there's no invasion on the horizon.

Western leaders have nonetheless remained skeptical of the Kremlin's true intentions, and have continued to warn that evidence points to an incoming attack any day now.

That said, however, as pointed out by CNN's Kaitlan Collins, officials have up until now repeatedly said they were unsure whether Putin had determined his next move. Biden's remarks today were a vote of confidence otherwise.