National Security

Instead of looking back to an age of empire, Russia should accept Ukraine's borders and move on, Kenya's ambassador told a session of the U.N. Security Council.

Russia's action was universally condemned in an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting, which concluded with no action taken.

A Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine would cost billions. Russia's weak economy would face tough sanctions. And there are the political costs of alienating Europe and revitalizing NATO.

As fears grow of a Russian invasion of his country, the Ukrainian president offered to meet with his Russian counterpart. The U.S. warned of swift sanctions against Russia if it moves into Ukraine.

Biden's remarks came shortly after the White House said the Kremlin was behind denial-of-service attacks in Ukraine.

The threat of Russia invading Ukraine is real, the Biden administration insists. At the same time, top officials say they hope that being vocal about the intelligence they have could deter action.

Biden told reporters Thursday that his sense is that invasion could occur in the next several days. "Every indication we have is they're prepared to go into Ukraine," he said.

"In fact," a senior administration official said, "we have now confirmed that in the last several days, Russia has increased its troop presence along the Ukrainian border by as many as 7,000 troops."