Biden says Putin has decided to invade Ukraine

President Joe Biden said on Friday that the United States has intelligence showing that President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has made a final decision to invade Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

“We have reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to, intend to, attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days,” Mr. Biden said in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. “We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, a city of 2.8 million innocent people.”

Asked whether he thought that Mr. Putin was still wavering, Mr. Biden said: “I’m convinced he’s made the decision.” Later he added that his impression of Mr. Putin’s intentions was based on U.S. intelligence.

Previously, the president and his top national security aides had said they did not know whether Mr. Putin had made a final decision to follow through with his threat of an invasion.

Still, Mr. Biden implored Russia to “choose diplomacy.”

“It is not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table,” Mr. Biden said, referring to planned talks between Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Russia’s foreign minister next week. “If Russia takes military action before that day, it will be clear that they have slammed the door shut on diplomacy.”