Joe Biden reacted to statements from Moscow, which announced on Tuesday a partial withdrawal of its forces deployed around Ukraine. In a short statement to the White House on Tuesday, the American president explained that a Russian attack against Ukraine remained “completely possible”, even it is necessary “to give every chance to diplomacy”.
If he conceded that the Russian withdrawal mentioned by Moscow “would be positive”, the American head of state affirmed that the United States had little information on this announcement. “We have not checked at this stage” the implementation of this withdrawal, he explained, saying on the contrary that these troops, now estimated at “more than 150,000”, remained in “a threatening position”. . “Citizens of Russia, you are not our enemies,” he also said, assuring that neither the United States nor NATO were a “threat”.
Sanctions “are ready”
Joe Biden, who alternated in a short intervention between signs of openness and messages of firmness, also affirmed that Western sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine “are ready”. These “powerful” measures will notably put “pressure on their largest and most important financial institutions and on key industries”.
While he also reaffirmed that the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany would never come into operation in the event of a Russian attack, the President of the United States said he was “ready to respond” to any “asymmetric attack” against the United States or its NATO allies, which may include cyberattacks.