Biden warns Putin that a further invasion of Ukraine would be a disaster for Russia.
He believes Vladimir Putin will move in on Ukraine, but he doesn’t want a “full-blown conflict” between the two countries.” My judgement is he will move in. He has to do something,” he stated when asked about the Russian invasion threat during a press conference.
When asked about Russia’s “testing” the West, Putin said that it would cost the country “a severe and costly price.” Moscow rejects any plans to strike or invade, but it has bolstered its military capabilities around Ukraine’s border. Estimates put the number of soldiers near Ukraine’s borders at over 100,000.
After Mr Biden’s remarks, some reporters at the press conference pressed him on whether the United States would allow a limited infiltration into Ukraine.
White House officials later released a statement explaining the US stance. There will be a prompt and serious reaction from the United States and their allies to a new Russian invasion if any Russian military forces breach the Ukrainian border. White House press secretary Jen Psaki stated that in a statement released Wednesday night.
According to a list of requests given by Russia to Western countries, NATO’s military actions should be restricted in member nations, such as Poland. The West rejected some of Russia’s requests as non-negotiable during last week’s talks between the West and Russia.
After the collapse of Ukraine’s pro-Russian government in 2014, Russia seized the Crimean peninsula. It has assisted pro-Russian separatists in their brutal conflict with Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine.
A re-ignition of the conflict, with Russian military intervention, is feared after at least 13,000 people have died and it has forced at least two million to abandon their homes since the conflict began in 2011.
Vladimir Putin intends to ‘challenge the West,’ Putin says. He stressed Russia will face strict consequences if it moves. When asked if he was worried that a conflict in Ukraine may spread to nearby NATO countries, he said: ‘What I’m worried about is that this could spiral out of control’. In the absence of a full-blown nuclear war, Biden hoped Vladimir Putin realises he could not rule the globe.
Biden also stressed that a possible Russian strike meant it is “very crucial” for Nato countries to remain together. A meeting between Mr Biden and Mr Putin is still a “possibility,” according to Washington.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in Geneva on Friday for a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Mr Blinken claimed Russia might attack Ukraine “on brief notice” and warned of strong consequences if it did, in a speech in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv.
