The chief of the United States military said Friday conflict in Ukraine could still be avoided, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin amassing more than 100,000 troops along their shared border. “Conflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy,” US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters at the Pentagon. “Mr. Putin can do the right thing as well,” he added. “There is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict. He can choose to deescalate. He can order his troops away.”