President Biden urged President Putin
not to embark on “a war of choice” last
night as he cast doubt on the supposed
withdrawal of Russian troops from the
Ukrainian border.
Biden said that a diplomatic solution
was still possible but warned that the
US would “rally the world” to punish
Russia if it invaded.
Giving an assessment that there were
150,000 troops “encircling” Ukraine, he
also spoke to the Russian people direct-
ly in a White House address, saying:
“You are not our enemy.”
He echoed scepticism from western
allies over Russia’s suggestion that it
was pulling some troops out.
“The Russian defence ministry
reported today that some military units
are leaving their positions near
Ukraine. That would be good but we
have not yet verified that,” Biden said.
“Indeed our analysts indicate that
they remain very much in a threatening
position. And the fact remains right
now that Russia has more than 150,
troops encircling Ukraine... an
invasion remains distinctly possible.”
He added: “To the citizens of Russia,you are not our enemy. And I do not
believe you want a bloody, destructive
war against Ukraine... 77 years ago our
people fought and sacrificed side by
side to end the worst war in history.
World War Two was a war of necessity,
but if Russia attacks Ukraine it would
be a war of choice, a war without cause
or reason.”
His appeal came as:
6 Putin declined to rule out war but
said that he was prepared to negotiate
with the West on “certain points” after
three hours of talks with Olaf Scholz,
the German chancellor, in Moscow.
6 Ukraine blamed the Kremlin for a
cyberattack on government agenciesand banks in what analysts fear could
prove the prelude to an invasion.
6 Nato is drawing up long-term plans
to reinforce its southeastern flank with
up to four new battlegroups, starting
with a deployment to Romania.
6 Experts said that Russia was now a
more capable military power than at
any time since the dissolution of the
Soviet Union, with billions of pounds
spent on modernising its forces.
6 The Russian parliament voted to ask
Putin to recognise two breakaway
republics in eastern Ukraine, a move
that would raise tensions and could
result in Moscow sending in troops.
Biden’s warning mirrored briefingsfrom western intelligence officials. In a
bleak assessment, senior figures said
they had seen “no sign of de-escalation
by Russia or a withdrawal of forces”.
They said that “we could easily see a
false flag” today, suggesting that Russia
could create a scenario that would give
it a pretext to invade.
Field hospitals have been positioned
close to the border and no credence
should be given to videos of vehicles
leaving, they said, adding: “We need to
be ready either for a very immediate
scenario or a protracted crisis.”
Moscow claimed that it was
withdrawing some forces after the
Continued on page 2, col 3The Duke of York settled the sex assault
case filed against him in the US
yesterday after pressure from the
Prince of Wales and other members of
the royal family.
Prince Andrew could pay about
£10 million to Virginia Giuffre, his
accuser, as part of the out-of-court
settlement, legal experts suggested.
The duke is said to have faced
increasing pressure from the royal
family to bring the case to an end after
it threatened to overshadow the
Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Charles had been a prominent voice on
the issue, a source indicated.
Lawyers for both sides said that they
would seek the dismissal of the case
“upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the
settlement”.
The statement offered no indication
that Andrew, 61, would publicly accept
Giuffre’s claims that she had been
forced to have sex with him when she
was 17 by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine
Maxwell. Lawyers and charities never-
theless described it as a victory for her.
The amount that the duke will pay
Giuffre, 38, is confidential. The state-
ment said that he would also make a
“substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s
charity in support of victims’ rights”.
The statement, filed with the court by
her lawyer, David Boies, said that
“Prince Andrew has never intended to
malign Ms Giuffre’s character, and he
accepts that she has suffered both as an
established victim of abuse and as a
result of unfair public attacks”.
Lisa Bloom, who represents eight of
Epstein’s victims, hailed Giuffre’s
“victory” for “getting Prince Andrew to
stop his nonsense”.
Mark Stephens, a partner at the
London law firm Howard Kennedy,
said that the settlement was “inevit-
able” and “entirely good news for theroyal family and Virginia Giuffre”. Last
night there were claims in The Daily
Telegraph that Andrew would be using
money from the Queen’s Duchy of
Lancaster estate to fund the settlement.
Royal experts suggested that there
was now no way back for the duke toDavid Charter Washington
Hugh Tomlinson, Larisa Brown
Oliver Wright, Bruno Waterfield
Oliver Moody Berlin
Wednesday February 16 2022 | thetimes.co.uk | No 73708 2GBiden doubts Russian withdrawal
US warning comes as intelligence officials suggest there is ‘no sign of de-escalation’
We’ve hit Peak Boots
My revealing
lunch with
Novak
Djokovic
It’s the only footwear to flaunt INSIDE Matthew Syed
TIMES
£2.20 £1.45 to subscribers
(based on 7 Day Print Pack)Duke agrees
payout to
settle sex
assault case
Charlotte Wace, Will Pavia
Jonathan Ames, Mario Ledwith
Andrew as honorary colonel of the Grenadier Guards in 2019. He has lost his military titles and is unlikely to regain thempublic life. There are no plans for his
patronages or HRH title to be restored
by the Queen. His representatives
declined to comment. Buckingham
Palace and Clarence House also
declined to comment.
’Worth its weight in gold’, pages 4-JONATHAN BRADY/PASide effects
of statins are
exaggerated,
say scientists
Katie GibbonsStatins taken by millions in Britain each
day have fewer side effects than
previously thought, a study suggests.
The drugs should continue to be
prescribed to combat high cholesterol
because the side effects reported by
patients may be “overestimated and
overdiagnosed”, the research found.
Between seven and eight million
people take statins to reduce the risk of
heart attacks and strokes. They are one
of the most commonly prescribed
drugs in Britain. Research suggests that
one in 50 people who take the pills for
five years will avoid a serious
cholesterol-related health problem.
The latest study, published in the
European Heart Journal, found that true
side effects strike between 6 and 10 per
cent of patients. However, it is thought
that 50 per cent stop taking the drugs,
cut their dose or take them irregularly
owing to muscle pain and other side
effects such as headaches and digestive
and sleep problems.
Professor Maciej Banach, of the
Medical University of Lodz and the
University of Zielona Gora, Poland,
who led the research, said: “Our find-
ings mean that we should evaluate
patients’ symptoms very carefully, first
to see whether symptoms are indeed
Continued on page 2, col 5y(7HB7E2*OTSKNP( |||+z!_