Ukraine-Russia crisis: US says Russia will invade Ukraine before the night is over

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said that he expected Russia to invade Ukraine before the night was over but still sees a chance to "avert a major aggression", news agency Reuters has reported.

Blinken told NBC in an interview that "everything seems to be in place for Russia to engage in a major aggression against Ukraine". Blinken added that he could not be precise about time or place.

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Ukraine entered a state of emergency on Wednesday as the Pentagon warned that Russia's preparations for invasion appear to be complete, and Ukrainian citizens prepared for war.

The UN Security Council has called an emergency meeting on Ukraine after diplomats from dozens of countries took the floor at the General Assembly to deplore Russia's actions toward the country and plead for diplomacy as fears of a new war in Europe grew.

Citing an “immediate threat of Russian offensive,” Ukraine requested the council session after Russia said that rebels in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military assistance.

Also Read | What Ukraine, UN chief said at General Assembly session on Russia aggression