US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that “it will be a disaster for Russia” if finally decide invade Ukraine and reiterated his threats of heavy economic sanctions.
Vladimir Putin “has never seen sanctions like the ones I have promised will be imposed if he moves” toward Ukraine, Biden said in a statement. Press conference on the occasion of the first anniversary of his coming to power, which falls on Thursday.
The US president warned that Moscow will be held accountable, although he clarified that the measures that the US and its partners adopt will depend on the type of military intervention that Russia chooses to carry out.
“It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up arguing (in NATO) about what to do and not to do, but if the Russians do what they’re capable of doing with a massive force on the border, it’s going to be a disaster for Russia,” Biden warned.
In that sense, he clarified that the US and its allies are prepared to “impose a severe cost and significant damage” to Russia and its economy.
“If they invade they will pay (…) Their banks will not be able to make transactions in dollars.”
However, he stated that it will depend on what Russia finally does: “I want to be clear that with the imposition of serious sanctions related to transactions in dollars (…) there will be a negative impact on the US as well as on the economies in Europe, and devastating in Russia.
“So I’m going to make sure that everyone is on the same page as we move forward” in sanctioning Moscow, Biden said.
Ukraine unlikely to join NATO
In parallel, the US president said that Washington is going to help fortify its NATO allies in Eastern Europe: “We have already sent some 600 million dollars in sophisticated defense equipment to the Ukrainians.”
Biden considered that beyond the cost of lives in the Russian ranks, no matter how much Russia gets away with it, it will be strong, real and consistent.
Despite these threats, the US president sees that there is still room to negotiate with his counterpart, Vladimir Putin, who asks for guarantees that Ukraine will never be part of NATO and that there will be no “strategic weapons station” of the Alliance Atlantic in Ukraine.
“We can work on something for the second,” said Biden, who regarding the first point highlighted that there are international treaties and in Europe that indicate that one chooses who they want to be with.
“But the probability that Ukraine is going to join NATO in the short term is not very likely,” he said.
Tune in as I hold a press conference. https://t.co/QdyQj3OY9d
President Biden (@POTUS) January 19, 2022