We still believe that he [Vladimer Putin] hasn’t made a final decision. Such a statement made the Press Secretary of Pentagon John F. Kirby at the Press Briefing.

“We still believe that there’s headspace, with Mr. Putin that can be operated inside of. We still believe that he hasn’t made a final decision. And so, a lot of what we’re doing, not just what we’re doing, but how we’re talking about what we"re doing Is designed to make it very clear where the United States national security interests are and what we"re trying to achieve here.

In a nutshell, what we’re trying to achieve here is a de-escalation of the tensions, and a diplomatic path forward. And virtually everything that we’ve done, everything I’ve said up here, and quite frankly, everything I"m not said up here, is designed to help us get to a better outcome. A peaceful outcome, a diplomatic outcome.

Nobody wants to see, except with the exception of possibly, Mr. Putin, any military conflict breaking out in Europe. So, we’re being very careful. We’re trying to be very deliberate. And, again, I would just beg your understanding of that”, - said John F. Kirby.