(RepublicanInformer.com)- President Joe Biden warned Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, this week that America would impose strong and serious sanctions if Russia decides to invade Ukraine.
White House officials said this week that the U.S. would initiate strong economic sanctions on Russia if an invasion were to happen. Those measures are likely to be much stronger than they were in 2014, when Russia invaded and then occupied Crimea.
After Biden held a call with Putin on Tuesday, Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, told the media:
“I will look you in the eye and tell you, as President Biden looked Putin in the eye and told him today, that things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now.”
Sullivan didn’t explain specifically what the punishments would be, but he did say America is working directly with allies in Europe “at a deep level of specificity.” He also said the president “was direct and straightforward wit President Putin, as he always is.”
He also explained that during the call, “there was a lot of give and take. There was no finger-wagging, but the president was crystal clear about where the United States stands on all of these issues.”
One thing that the White House says is definitely off the table — for now, at least — is sending American troops to the region to stop the invasion from happening, or fight back Russian troops if they do indeed attack.
In recent months, Russia has been ramping up its presence along the border of Ukraine. Its erected lines for supplies that could allow Russia to sustain a conflict over many months, with fuel stations and medical units being set up.
The U.S. intelligence community has also reported that there are roughly 175,000 Russian troops that are now stationed near the Ukrainian border, which signals that Russia could initiate an invasion in the next few months.
When talking with reporters on Tuesday, Sullivan said the White House believes that Putin hasn’t yet made up his mind on whether he’ll invade Ukraine. And because of that, the Biden administration is trying to signal that it would not be in Russia’s best interests to do that as a way to deter them from attacking.
Beyond just economic sanctions, Sullivan said Biden told Putin that the U.S. would be prepared to send significant defense support to Ukraine. He explained what Biden said:
“He reiterated America’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He told President Putin directly that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with strong economic measures.
“We would provide additional defensive materiel to the Ukrainians above and beyond that which we are already providing, and we would fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.”
Ultimately, Biden suggested to Putin that the more preferable outcome would be for Russia to de-escalate the situation so diplomacy could be carried out.
