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Transcript/Script: US – NATO – RUSSIA (TV)
HEADLINE: US President: Threat of Russian Invasion ‘Very High’
TEASER: ‘You don’t do these sorts of things for no reason,' says US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about Moscow's military moves
PUBLISHED: 2/17/2022 at 6:27p
BYLINE: Carla Babb
DATELINE: Brussels
SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, Reifenrath, DJ(ok)
PRODUCER:
VIDEO FROM: Feeds, News Agencies
PLATFORMS: WEB TV _X_ RADIO __
SCREENED BY: Jepsen
TRT: 2:08
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((ANCHOR INTRO))
[[U.S. President Joe Biden says there is a “very high” likelihood that Russia will invade Ukraine in the next several days. The warning comes as Biden’s three top administration officials are in Europe to meet with allies about the escalations in Eastern Europe. VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb is traveling with the U.S. defense secretary and has more from Brussels.]]
((NARRATOR))
New shelling hit a kindergarten in eastern Ukraine Thursday — with U.S. officials blaming Russia for the attack.
At NATO headquarters, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called the latest violence troubling.
((Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense)) ((8:05-8:15 in feeds) of Austin presser)
“We've said for some time that the Russians might do something in order to justify a military conflict. So we'll be watching this very closely.”
((NARRATOR))
((Mandatory Courtesy: Russian Ministry of Defense))
Austin said Russia has added more troops and more aircraft near the border areas …even stocking up blood supplies.
((Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense))
“I was a soldier myself not that long ago. I know firsthand that you don’t do these sorts of things for no reason. And you certainly don’t do them if you’re getting ready to pack up and go home.”
((NARRATOR))
The largest cyberattack in Ukraine’s history this week shut down banks and government websites, another warning sign, officials say, that an invasion could happen at any moment.
((CARLA BABB, VOA News))
“Can you confirm whether Russia was behind this attack?”
((Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense))
“The intelligence community continues to assess what happened there, but I would just point out to you that this is a play taken out of its playbook.”
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the global stage at the U.N. Security Council before traveling to Germany
…
… warning that Russia could try to manufacture a reason to attack Ukraine and urging Moscow to de-escalate.
((Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State))
“But let me be clear, I am here today not to start a war but to prevent one. // “We have a responsibility to make every effort for diplomacy to succeed, to leave no diplomatic stone unturned. If Russia is committed to diplomacy, we're presenting every opportunity for it to demonstrate that commitment.”
((NARRATOR))
Blinken also told the council that he proposed holding an in-person meeting with his Russian counterpart next week. Russia, meanwhile, has expelled the second-ranking American diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
((Carla Babb, VOA News, Brussels))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Brussels
Embargo DateFebruary 17, 2022 19:55 EST
BylineCarla Babb
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
