In his first comments on the standoff with the West over Ukraine in more than a month, Putin said the Kremlin is still studying the U.S. and NATO’s response.
U.S. defense leaders warned Friday that President Vladimir Putin “clearly now has the ability” to have his forces invade Ukraine with “very, very little warning,” but that U.S., NATO and Ukrainian forces stand ready to respond if that happens.
Tensions have soared in recent weeks, as the U.S. and its NATO allies expressed concern about a buildup of approximately 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine.