CNN’s Jake Tapper reported Friday that unidentified White House sources are “very concerned” that tens of thousands of Russian troops menacing eastern Ukraine could invade their neighbor “as soon as this weekend.”
After officially annexing Crimea this morning, Tapper claimed that “there is now real apprehension that Vladimir Putin could push even further into Ukraine, perhaps as soon as this weekend.”
“Source tell me that the Obama administration is ‘very concerned’ that the Russians are not being truthful when they say their troops currently positioned on Ukraine’s eastern and southern border are merely there for training exercises,” the anchor said.
“Now that is based on intelligence from the field, sources tell me,” Tapper stressed. “A senior administration official cautioned that they are not certain Russia is planning an imminent move deeper into Ukraine, but they are ‘very concerned.'”
Russia has promised the Obama administration that their massive troop build-up on the Ukrainian border is related to training exercises — not an impending invasion.
“But Obama administration officials have received intelligence suggesting there is reason to be skeptical of Russia’s claims,” Tapper explained, “and that Russia, as soon as in the coming days, could use any number of pretexts to justify pushing its military incursions deeper into Ukraine.”
“Officials say that Russian troops could accomplish a move like this very quickly, and theoretically before any other nation could even raise objections that the border was crossed,” Tapper warned.
[h/t Mediaite]
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