President Joe Biden said on Friday that Russia President Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine, and that he continues to spread false information to try to build a pretext for a military strike that could happen in days. His comments came after a phone call with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Britain, the European Union and NATO, the White House said.
The leaders pledged to continue pursuing diplomacy while preparing to impose swift, coordinated economic costs on Russia should it choose further conflict, according to a White House readout of the call.
"As of this moment I am convinced that he has made the decision (to invade)," Biden told reporters in Washington. "We have reason to believe that," Biden added, citing U.S. intelligence assessments.
