President Biden says Russia will pay ‘a heavy price’ if it invades Ukraine

Democratic President Joe Biden has said that Russia will pay “a heavy price” if it invades Ukraine.

“I have made it clear to President Putin that if he makes any further moves and enters Ukraine, we will have severe sanctions. We will strengthen our presence in Europe. Europe with NATO Biden told reporters Friday.

Biden made his comments after reporters asked about his Phone call on Thursday with Russian President Putin. During the 50-minute phone call, the two presidents mainly discussed de-escalation in Ukraine and US-Russian diplomacy towards European talks that will begin in mid-January.

Tens of thousands of Russian troops have gathered on the Ukrainian border, raising fears of a possible invasion by the United States and its allies. Russia says it has built up its military to prevent NATO expansion toward its borders and to protect ethnic Russian citizens living in the war-torn Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.

More than 13,000 lives have gone missing in the Donbas region since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. Russian-backed separatists have fought in the region, although the Russian government has officially denied it. all related. Ukraine accuses Russia of trying to destabilize and claim sovereignty in the region.

Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov has denied the allegation. Instead, he said Russia wanted a quick end to the conflict and didn’t want to get bogged down in “endless discussions” with the US government about how best to protect the Russians in the Donbas.

To stop the Russian invasion, Biden administration officials have spoken with leaders across Europe, Emily Horne, a spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council (NSC), said today. Wednesday.

Administration officials spoke to officials in European Union, the 57-member Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), as well as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO is a multinational force that seeks to limit the military influence of Russia and other countries in Europe.

Together, the groups are “consulting and coordinating on a common approach to deal with Russia’s military buildup on the border with Ukraine,” Horne said.

Biden prefers the diplomatic route to defuse tensions in the region but will support Ukraine’s military and could pursue sanctions against Russia if an invasion occurs.

Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign affairs adviser, said that any US action against Russia has the potential to disrupt diplomatic relations between the two nations, AP news agency reported.

Russia has pushed back on efforts to grant NATO membership to Ukraine and other Eastern European countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union. Russia also expressed its desire for the United States and its allies to eliminate or reduce military support to Ukraine.

However, that seems unlikely.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. After the call, Zelensky said that the United States had pledge “full” support against “Russian aggression.”