The United States does not see the Russian peacekeeping force in eastern Ukraine as an invader

The decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin to send so-called peacekeepers to eastern Ukraine has not been interpreted by the United States as an invasion of Ukraine.

An unnamed Biden government official told reporters Monday night (local time) that the United States would continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict “until tanks begin to roll.”

During the night from Monday to Tuesday, a Reuters witness observed a column of military vehicles in Donetsk, the capital of one of the two divided regions. However, this was not seen as an invasion of the United States because it did not deviate from the previous behavior already expressed by Russia. “This is no longer an invasion because it is an area they have already occupied,” an unnamed government official told Reuters.

Nevertheless, the United States is seriously considering the possibility that Russia could invade other parts of Ukraine at any time. As a precaution, the United States transferred temporary embassy officials from Ukraine to Poland on Monday evening. They will return to Ukraine on Tuesday morning (local time) if there is no raid tonight.