WASHINGTON — Russia further boosted troop levels on the Ukrainian border this weekend, adding to President Vladimir Putin’s options should he decide on a military incursion, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
“He can execute some of those options imminently,” Kirby said on “Fox News Sunday.” “Imminent means it could happen really, honestly, at any time. It depends on what Vladimir Putin might want to do.”
The U.S. and its allies are seeking to step up military and diplomatic pressure on Russia after the Kremlin massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine and scheduled military exercises next month in Belarus, which also borders Ukraine. Russia denies it’s planning to further invade Ukraine.