Pentagon spokesman John Kirby took a moment to explain how the United States views Russia’s actions along the Ukrainian border. “We would not characterize what we are seeing as de-escalatory,” Kirby said when asked about the Russian military buildup.

Kirby explained this in clear terms, saying that the Pentagon stands by its assessment that Russia currently has as many as 100,000 troops stationed near its border with Ukraine. He added that Russia was carrying out a host of activities clearly intended to improve its ability to attack at any time.

"We have been long saying that in addition to the combat capability that Mr. Putin continues to add, and does continue to add to the western part of his country and in Belarus, he has also, over these many weeks, increased his logistics and sustainment capability,” Kirby told reporters.

When asked about estimates regarding the potential timing of an invasion, Kirby stressed that Russia has the forces necessary to attack at any moment.

Does that mean an invasion is imminent? “We look at a whole mosaic of information as we evaluate what we're seeing on the ground there … [Putin] has enough capability to move now if he wants to,” Kirby said. “He could move imminently—at any time.”

What might the United States and NATO do to prepare for such a contingency? Kirby was clear that deliberations were ongoing regarding the United States’ force posture and multinational deterrence initiatives. While the United States already has 8,500 troops on alert to support NATO if called upon, Kriby did not specify any additional plans.

"There are no announcements … with respect to any other deployment orders or troop movements," Kirby said. However, he added that the United States is “in close consultation with [allies]. If and when there's decisions, to deploy additional U.S. forces on Allied territory in lockstep with that or those countries we'll certainly be as transparent with you as we can be.”

One variable impacting the timing of a possible Russian invasion relates to the prospect of Ukraine joining the NATO alliance, something that Putin has vocally opposed. When pressed on whether there were discussions regarding Ukraine joining NATO in the future, Kirby did not elaborate apart from stating that “Ukraine left on its own is on a trajectory to join NATO.”

Kirby asserted that "it should be up to Ukraine who they negotiate with … Mr. Putin does not get to have a veto on that.” Kirby went on to note that “there has been work done internationally to help Ukraine address reform needs.”

Kris Osborn is the Defense Editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Reuters.