US President Joe Biden on Thursday urged American citizens to leave Ukraine, saying “things could go crazy quickly".
In an excerpt from an interview with NBC News, presenter Lester Holt asked Mr Biden under what circumstances might he send US troops into Ukraine to help Americans trying to flee.
“There’s not,” the president replied. “That’s a world war when Americans and Russia start shooting at one another. We’re in a very different world than we’ve ever been.”
He said that if Mr Putin was “foolish enough to go in, he’s smart enough not to, in fact, do anything that would negatively impact on American citizens".
Holt asked whether he has ever said that to Mr Putin, and the US president said he had. “I didn’t have to tell him that. I’ve spoken about that. He knows that."
In the interview, other parts of which will be broadcast on Friday and before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Mr Biden said, “American citizens should leave now.”
The State Department on Thursday cautioned against travel to the country because of “the increased threats of Russian military action and Covid-19. Those in Ukraine should depart now via commercial or private means".
"It's not like we're dealing with a terrorist organisation," Mr Biden said. “We’re dealing with one of the largest armies in the world. It’s a very different situation and things could go crazy quickly.”
Russia says it has no plans to invade Ukraine but wants the West to keep it and other former Soviet countries out of Nato.
It also wants Nato to refrain from sending weapons there and withdraw alliance forces from Eastern Europe.
The US and Nato flatly reject these demands.
News agencies contributed to this report
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Russian and Belarus troops held joint combat training at firing ranges in Belarus as tensions remain high under the looming threat of war with Ukraine. AP Photo -
A soldier drives an armoured vehicle at Brestsky firing range, Belarus. AP Photo -
A Ukrainian serviceman carries out checks not far from the pro-Russian militant-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine. EPA -
A Russian military vehicle drives off a railway platform after arriving in Belarus. AP Photo -
A soldier takes aim during a Russian and Belarusian military drill at Brestsky firing range. AP Photo -
A Ukrainian serviceman repairs a shelter near Donetsk, Ukraine. EPA -
Aircraft are lined up on 'USS Harry S Truman' in the Adriatic Sea. The Truman strike group is operating under Nato command and control along with several other Nato allies for co-ordinated maritime manoeuvres, anti-submarine warfare training and long-range training. Reuters -
Russian soldiers attend the Yurginsky training ground in the Kemerovo region, Russia. AP Photo -
A Ukrainian serviceman lays flowers where one of his friends was killed in 2017 near Avdiivka. Anatolii Stepanov / AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman stands guard in a dugout on the frontline with the Russia-backed separatists near Avdiivka. AFP -
This satellite image shows troops gathered at a training ground in Pogonovo, Russia. AP Photo
