US President Joe Biden has warned by saying that Russia will have to ‘pay a heavy price’ if their military units cross the Ukrainian border and also stated that it will be considered as ‘invasion’.
The treasury department-imposed sanctions on individuals on Thursday who were engaged in influencing activities by the Russian Government.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “This action was part of our ongoing, longstanding efforts to counter Russia’s network of influence efforts and to expose its dangerous, threatening, and ongoing campaign to destabilize Ukraine,”.
She further added while answering a question “These individuals are at the heart of Russia’s destabilizing campaign in Ukraine and we stand united with the Ukrainian government.”
Psaki also stated that the United States is not waiting to take action for countering Russia.
She continued,”We see what they’re doing and we are disrupting it. These actions are separate and distinct from the broad range of high-impact; severe measures we and our allies are prepared to impose in order to inflict significant costs should they invade,”
Joe Biden told the reporters “I’ve been absolutely clear with President Putin… If any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion and would be met with a severe and coordinated economic response that I’ve discussed in detail with our allies and laid out very clearly for President Putin.”
The US president warned,”Let there be no doubt at all that if Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price,”
The US President shed some light on cyber attacks, ‘grey-zone’ attacks, and actions by Russian soldiers in not wearing their uniforms. He also alleged that Russia has a long history of using overt military action rather than other measures for carrying out military aggression.
He continued, “Remember when they moved into the Donbas with ‘Little Green Men’? They were dealing with those who were Russian sympathizers and said that Russia had nobody in there,”
Biden also said, “We have to be ready to respond to these in a united way with a range of tools at our disposal,”
Later, the US President was asked why he was waiting for President Putin to make the first move, to which he replied “What a Stupid Question”.
Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary,informed that the Biden administration is making decisions based on decades of experience of the president and that of his foreign policy team and through consultation with its partners.
Jen Psaki said, “President Putin is going to make the choice he’s going to make. Either he is going to decide to invade Ukraine and suffer severe economic consequences or he is going to decide to engage in diplomatic discussions,”
She further added, “The aggressor is Russia and Putin. They are building up military troops and pushing out misinformation in Ukraine. That’s who we need to keep our focus on and make sure we are educating the public about their actions.”
