Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine intensify

KYIV, Ukraine (NBC) – Fearing a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, the United States launched a fresh effort to resolve the standoff Wednesday even as Moscow continued to mass troops on its southern neighbor’s doorstep.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv in a hastily-arranged diplomatic mission that signaled the urgency of the crisis.

It comes at a time when US officials and NATO are warning that Russia now has the forces and means to carry out an invasion of this country at any moment. They have been warning for weeks now about the Russian build-up. Now, they are saying Russia could decide to enter this country. It has some 100,000 troops positioned along three sides: the south, the east, and the north. All that’s missing is a decision from Vladimir Putin.

Two other factors: Russia has moved in troops and tanks to neighboring Belarus. This potentially can open up another front.

So now, U.S. officials — including Secretary of State Blinken — are telling the U.S. embassy staff that a potential invasion could come on short notice. And this is why there is this second round of diplomatic activity with Blinken meeting the embassy staff, meeting Ukraine’s foreign minister and President Zelensky, then traveling to Germany, then on Friday, going to Geneva to meet the Russian secretary of state and the foreign minister.