Biden warns Putin: back offski, or else
WASHINGTON: The US has vowed to boost its military presence in Eastern Europe and to impose “severe economic harm” on Russia should Moscow invade Ukraine, the White House has warned, laying out the high stakes on the eve of talks between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
The US President will also quickly inform his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky of the details of his discussion with Mr Putin – which is taking place by videoconference on Wednesday (Australian time) – as tens of thousands of Russian troops were positioned near the Ukraine border, a senior US official told reporters.
The official said the White House did not know if Mr Putin had made a decision to launch his military forces against Ukraine, and they stopped short of threatening direct intervention of US military force should he do so.
But Mr Biden will make it clear to the Russian leader that there “will be genuine, meaningful and enduring costs to choosing to go forward should (Russia) choose to go forward with a military escalation”, the official said, on grounds of anonymity.
The US and its European allies were prepared to take “substantial economic countermeasures … that would impose significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy” if Russia attacked, the official said.
In addition, Mr Biden would make clear that if Mr Putin “moved in, there would be an increasing request from eastern flank allies and a positive response from the United States for additional forces and capabilities”.
The official said Mr Biden would talk with his key European allies before the conference call with Mr Putin to co-ordinate their stances, and that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would also talk to Mr Zelensky beforehand.
Underscoring the close coordination between Washington and Kiev, Mr Biden will then brief Mr Zelensky immediately after the call.
Ukraine has estimated that Russia has about 100,000 troops near its border. Moscow denies any bellicose intentions and accuses the West of provocation, particularly with military exercises in the Black Sea, which it sees as part of its sphere of influence.
Mr Putin also wants a promise from the West that Ukraine would not become a part of NATO, the transatlantic alliance that was created to confront the former Soviet Union.
Asked if the US was prepared to send troops into Ukraine if Russia attacked, the official said the administration was “not seeking to end up in a circumstance in which the focus of our countermeasures is the direct use of American military force”.
Such talk “would be precipitous conflict sabrerattling, and we would prefer to keep those communications with the Russians private”, the official said.