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Biden predicts Russia will invade Ukraine
President Joe Biden predicted Wednesday that Russia will invade Ukraine, just as the United States launched a fresh effort to resolve the standoff.
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President Joe Biden predicted Wednesday that Russia will invade Ukraine, just as the United States launched a fresh effort to resolve the standoff and Moscow continued to mass troops on its neighbor's doorstep.
“My guess is he will move in, he has to do something,” said Biden during a news conference marking his first year in office, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine.
The declaration from Biden was striking given the escalating tensions there and the continued efforts by America and its allies to find a diplomatic solution.
Biden said Putin “will be held accountable” and has “never have seen sanctions like the ones I promised will be imposed” if Russia makes further moves against Ukraine. He added the U.S. would increase its troop levels in the region, including in Poland, keeping with obligations under the NATO treaty.
But Biden appeared to hedge his threats, distinguishing between a "minor incursion" and a full-blown attack.
"And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do," Biden added.
A senior administration official told reporters in a telephone briefing Wednesday night evening that the United States was prepared to impose sweeping sanctions on Russia regardless of the amount of territory seized in a possible invasion of Ukraine.
If conventional military forces are acquiring land in Ukraine, the U.S. would consider that an invasion, regardlesss of the size, the official said.
If Putin invades, “This is the most consequential thing that has happened in the world since World War II,” said Biden.
Biden offered some of his thoughts on Putin's thinking.
“I think it matters what side of the bed he gets up on in the morning as to what he’s going to do,” he added.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kyiv this week to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a hastily arranged diplomatic mission that signaled the urgency of the crisis.
Blinken was also set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, even after a flurry of negotiations last week produced no breakthrough and lowered hopes for de-escalation.
With Europe facing one of its greatest security crises since the Cold War, Washington’s warning that a Russian attack could come “at any point” was ringing through the winter air as Blinken arrived on the continent early Wednesday.
Speaking to diplomats at the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, Blinken echoed those concerns as he warned that Moscow's troop buildup would allow Putin to launch an attack "on very short notice."
Biden's top diplomat added that he strongly hopes Russia can stick to a peaceful path, Reuters reported. The Russian buildup, he said, was taking place with “no provocation, no reason,” according to the agency.
In a later meeting with Zelenskyy, Blinken said that Ukraine faces an “unprecedented” threat. He reiterated Washington's commitment to the country's territorial integrity and repeated warnings that renewed Russian aggression would be met with “very severe consequences."
During his time in Kyiv, Blinken will also meet with the employees of the U.S. embassy and their families to discuss efforts “to plan for contingencies,” should Russia choose to escalate further, the State Department said.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators briefed Biden on their trip to Ukraine this week to meet with Zelenskyy, which preceded Blinken's visit.