WASHINGTON, 15 January 2022, (TON): The United States said Thursday that Russia had not decided whether to invade Ukraine, but that the West was ready for all possibilities after a week of crisis talks.

Russian officials discussed tensions in a Vienna meeting with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the third round of diplomacy this week after talks directly with the United States and with NATO.

Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden s national security advisor, said that the United States was under “no illusions” about Russia but hoped that a peaceful solution remained possible.

Sullivan told reporters at the White House “we re ready either way.”

“We re ready to make progress at the negotiating table,” he said, “and we re ready to take the necessary and proper steps to defend our allies, support our partners and respond robustly to any naked aggression that might occur.”

The West has accused Russia of deploying tanks, artillery and about 100,000 soldiers on Ukraine s war-torn eastern border in recent weeks, in what NATO says is preparation for an invasion.