‘It Is Going To Be A Disaster For Russia If They Further Invade Ukraine:’ Biden
U.S. President Joe Biden said he thinks Putin does not want any full-blown war on Ukraine, but that “he will move in”. He was responding to a question during a White House news conference on Wednesday
If his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin tests the West, the United States and NATO significantly, he will pay “a serious and dear price for it,” Biden said.
The United Sates will impose sanctions on Russia that it has never seen before if Russian troops move in, he added.
“But if they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine, and that our allies and partners are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy,” Biden told reporters.
“There’ll be severe economic consequences. For example, if they invade, they’re going to pay; their banks will not be able to deal in dollars”.
Biden addressed the media after a virtual meeting with a bipartisan group of senators to discuss Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders. The group included senators who returned Tuesday from a Congressional delegation to Ukraine. They met with Ukrainian leadership and affirmed the United States’ longstanding bipartisan support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Putin has sought guarantees from the West on a number of demands, including that Ukraine will never be part of NATO, there will not be strategic weapons stationed in Ukraine, and that the US-led defensive alliance abandons military activity in Eastern Europe.
Washington has already shipped more than $600 million worth of sophisticated equipment, defensive equipment to the Ukrainians.
Biden admitted that militarily, Russia has “overwhelming superiority, as it relates to Ukraine.”
Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops near the border with its western neighbor. However, Kremlin denies reports that it is planning a cross-border attack.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier in the day he thought Russia could invade Ukraine at any moment.
In a statement issued later, the White House stressed that President Biden has been clear with the Russian President: “If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies”.
“President Biden also knows from long experience that the Russians have an extensive playbook of aggression short of military action, including cyberattacks and paramilitary tactics. And he affirmed today that those acts of Russian aggression will be met with a decisive, reciprocal, and united response,” Press Secretary Jen Psaki added.
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