US President Joe Biden also said he believes Russia is preparing to act on Ukraine, although he does not think Putin has made a final decision.
President Joe Biden said he believes Vladimir Putin does not want a full-fledged war in Ukraine and will pay a “dear price” if he goes ahead with military incursions.
Mr Biden, speaking at a news conference marking his one-year anniversary in office on 19 January, also said he believed Russia was preparing to act on Ukraine, although he did not. Putin seems to have made the final decision.
He suggested that if Russia invaded Ukraine further, he would limit Russia’s access to the international banking system.
“I’m not so sure what he’s going to do,” Biden said. “My guess is he will move in,” he said. With crucial talks drawing to a close, the United States and Russia on Wednesday showed no sign that either would back down from an intrusive position on Ukraine, raising fears of a Russian invasion and a new war in Europe.
Speaking in Kiev, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of planning to reinforce the more than 100,000 troops stationed on Ukraine’s border and suggested the number could double “on a relatively low order”. Mr Blinken did not elaborate, but Russia has sent an unspecified number of troops from the country’s Far East to its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, for major war games next month.
Meanwhile, Ukraine said it was prepared for the worst and would survive any difficulties that might arise. The President appealed to the country not to panic.
Mr Blinken’s visit to the Ukrainian capital comes two days before he met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. It follows a series of inconclusive talks last week that failed to defuse rising tensions.
Russian military activity has been increasing in recent weeks, but the US has not concluded whether President Vladimir Putin plans to invade or whether the show of force is intended to squeeze security concessions without actual conflict.
In Kiev, Mr Blinken reiterated Washington’s demands that Russia defuse the situation by withdrawing its forces from the border area, something Moscow has flatly refused to do. And, Mr. Blinken said that when he and Mr. Lavrov meet in Geneva, he will not give Russia the written response it expects of its demands.
Meanwhile, a top Russian diplomat said Moscow would not back down on its insistence that the US formally ban Ukraine from joining NATO and reduce its and the coalition’s military presence in Eastern Europe.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Moscow had no intention of invading Ukraine, but its demand for security guarantees could not be compromised.
The US and its allies have said the Russian demands have not begun, that Russia knows they are and that Mr Putin is using them partly as an excuse to invade Ukraine, which has strong ethnic and historical ties to Russia. relation.
The former Soviet republic aspires to join the coalition, although it has little hope of doing so in the near future.
Mr Blinken urged Western countries to remain united in the face of Russian aggression. He called on Ukrainians to stand firm, assuring the leader of Ukraine’s NATO support.
Mr Blinken told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the US and its allies are determined to support his country and its democratic aspirations against Russian attempts to incite division and discord through “relentless aggression”. “Our strength depends on maintaining our unity and this includes unity within Ukraine,” he told Mr. Zelensky. “I think one of Moscow’s long-standing goals has been to try to sow divisions between our countries and between our countries, and quite simply we will not allow them to do that and will not. ” The Mr. Biden administration has previously said it was providing an additional $200 million in defensive military aid to Ukraine. Mr. Blinken said more aid was coming and it would only increase if Russia invades.
Mr Zelensky thanked Mr Blinken for the assistance, which was approved in late December but was not ratified until Wednesday.
“This [military] The support speaks not only to our strategic plans for Ukraine to join the alliance, but more importantly to the level of our military, our military supplies,” he said, referring to Kiev’s desire to join NATO. .
“Your visit is very important,” said Mr. Zelensky. “This once again underscores your powerful support of our independence and sovereignty.” Mr Zelensky released a video address to the nation on Wednesday evening, urging the people of Ukraine not to panic over fears of a possible invasion. But he said the country had been living with the Russian threat for many years and should always be ready for war.
“Ukraine does not want war, but must always be ready for it,” said Mr. Zelensky.
From Kiev, Mr Blinken is planning a short trip to Berlin for talks with German and other European allies on Thursday before meeting with Lavrov.
On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European Union to formulate a plan to de-escalate tensions with Russia. “We must build it among the Europeans, then share it with our allies within the framework of NATO, and then propose it for negotiations with Russia,” he said.
Washington and its allies keep the door open for further possible talks on arms control and confidence-building measures to reduce the likelihood of hostilities.
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