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United States President Joe Biden said on Friday (Feb. 18) that he was "convinced" of Russia's plans to invade Ukraine.

"We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to and intend to attack Ukraine in the coming week - in the coming days," said Biden, according to The New York Times.

The result, said Biden, would be a “catastrophic and needless war of choice” in Eastern Europe.

"The United States and our allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security," he added.

When pressed on why he was sure of Russia's intention, Biden said "we have a significant intelligence capability".

Diplomacy still an option

Yet the U.S. President said that until the attack actually began, "diplomacy is always a possibility", reported The Guardian.

"I say it again, Russia can still choose diplomacy. It is not too late to deescalate and return to the negotiating table."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are set for talks on Thursday (Feb. 24), and Biden said that any Russian military action before then would be a sign that "they have slammed the door shut on diplomacy".

Russia's supposed pretext for war

Biden's address followed news of supposed Ukrainian attacks on states in the country's east that have been taken over by pro-Russian separatist forces.

The Russian-backed leaders have also announced a mass-evacuation of citizens to Russia after blaming Ukraine for provocations such as shelling the front lines between Ukraine and the separatist forces, and also a car bomb that went off in an empty lot.

Biden rejected these claims as part of Russia's "playbook" and as lies constructed Russian President Vladimir Putin as a pretext for an invasion.

According to The New York Times, Biden and other European leaders had been warning about such a situation for weeks.

"There is simply no evidence to these assertions," said Biden who had just gotten off a call with other western leaders.

"It defies basic logic to believe the Ukrainians would choose this moment, with well over 150,000 troops arrayed on its borders, to escalate a yearlong conflict."

No troops on ground, but support for Ukraine

While maintaining that the U.S. would not send troops to fight in Ukraine, Biden said that they would "continue to support the Ukrainian people".

He cited the "record amount of security assistance" provided to Ukraine in the past year, which included US$650 million (S$874.8 million) in missiles and ammunition.

Biden also warned that the West was ready to impose "severe sanctions" on Russia.

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Top image via Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images