United States President Joe Biden said that Ukraine’s allies in the west, including NATO, may not react with consensus in case Russia pulls off a “minor incursion.” However, the White House press team later came to the President’s rescue and clarified his comments.
Biden said that “it is one thing if it is a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do”, according to reports from CNN.
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Soon after Biden wrapped up his East Room press conference and address to mark his administration’s one year in office, White House press secretary Jen Psaki clarified his statements and assured a “united response” from the United States and allies.
Psaki said in a statement on Wednesday, “President Biden has been clear with the Russian President: If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our allies”, according to reports from CNN.
The White House accused Russia of having an “extensive playbook of aggression short of military action, including cyberattacks and paramilitary tactics”, in an attempt to define what Biden meant by “minor incursion.” Psaki added it would be dealt with a “decisive, reciprocal, and united response.”
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The news comes a day after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled east and reached Ukraine’s Kyiv as a show of support and hardline America’s stance against a Russian invasion.
Biden’s lengthy address and presser on Wednesday included key questions, announcements and revelations. He announced that Vice President Kamala Harris will be his running mate in 2024. Other hot topics of discussion included nuclear talks with Iran, voting rights, political division and the Republican party.