Biden Says Threat to Ukraine Remains, Awaits Russia Pullback
Biden said it remains possible that Russia will invade Ukraine because its troops remain in a “threatening position".
(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden said it remains possible that Russia will invade Ukraine because its troops remain in a “threatening position,” and said that the U.S. has not verified Moscow’s claims that it has withdrawn some forces.
The American president agreed with a Kremlin declaration Monday that diplomacy is still possible but vowed he would not “sacrifice basic principles” that countries -- including Ukraine -- should have the right to keep their own borders.
“We should give the diplomacy every chance to succeed, and I believe there are real ways to address our respective security concerns,” Biden said at the White House on Tuesday. “To the citizens of Russia: You are not our enemy. And I do not believe you want a bloody, destructive war against Ukraine.”
Biden and his team have sought to deter a Russian invasion, which would plunge Europe into its biggest security crisis in decades and pose a new challenge for his embattled presidency. He said the U.S. stood ready to respond to a Russian attack with crippling economic sanctions, but warned Americans they could pay even higher fuel prices as a result.
He said the administration was working with energy companies and Congress to preempt any problems with supply, but did not specify any upcoming actions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied he intends to invade Ukraine, even while massing tens of thousands of troops as well as tanks, artillery and other equipment on the country’s borders. Biden said Russia now has about 150,000 troops in place around Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry signaled it was withdrawing some of the troops, calming shaky financial markets earlier Tuesday. But it’s doubtful the moves signaled a major pullback because the units involved were positioned far from the Ukrainian border, according to military analysts.
“That would be good, but we have not yet verified that,” Biden said of the defense ministry’s claim. “Our analysts indicate that they remain very much in a threatening position. An invasion remains distinctly possible.”
U.S. and European officials previously expressed skepticism the troop movements signaled a major withdrawal. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said earlier Tuesday there were no signs of de-escalation by Russia.
At the same time, Ukraine’s defense ministry and two state-run lenders said Tuesday they had experienced cyber attacks. No perpetrator has been named but speculation centered on Russia.
Putin said Tuesday he hopes for a diplomatic solution to ease tensions with the U.S. and its allies. He also warned Russia will not wait forever for the West to address his demand to block Ukraine from joining NATO, which the U.S. has said is a non-starter.
Biden reiterated the U.S. commitment to NATO and sought to portray a united front against any act of Russian aggression.
“The United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power,” he said.
Biden added that the U.S. would not change its approach to the crisis. He spoke with French President Emanuel Macron earlier Tuesday and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday in an effort to form a united front to deter Putin. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also met with Putin in Moscow. The White House has said that a coordinated set of harsh sanctions on Russia imposed by the U.S. and its allies is the best way to force Putin to agree to a diplomatic solution.
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But the president said that such an outcome could force inflation-weary Americans to pay even more for gasoline because of supply disruptions. “The American people understand that defending democracy and liberty is never without cost,” Biden said. “I will not pretend this will be painless.”
He added that the administration was working with energy companies and Congress to preempt any problems with supply, but did not specify any upcoming actions.
Senate Sanctions Talks
There were signs Tuesday, however, that bipartisan talks over a sanctions package remained at an impasse in Washington. Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, has drafted his own sanctions bill aimed at the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. Risch had been working with committee Chairman Bob Menendez on a sanctions package, but lawmakers have only days to strike a deal before a planned recess.
Menendez, in a statement, accused Republicans of choosing “partisan posturing instead of working to reach consensus on a comprehensive bipartisan proposal that would demonstrate a united front to deter Putin from re-invading Ukraine.”
U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that an invasion could take place at any moment. In recent days, the U.S. has also ordered its diplomats to leave the capital, Kyiv, pulled back military advisers working with Ukraine’s military and dispatched thousands of troops to bolster Poland and Romania. Biden said the U.S. embassy has been temporarily relocated to Lviv, in western Ukraine.
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