The Biden administration's policy isn't working and has created panic amid the buildup of Russian troops on the Ukraine border, says former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell.
"Just because there's Russian buildup does not mean that we know or that there is a plan to actually invade," Grenell said Thursday during an appearance on Newsmax's "Spicer & Co."
"I think this has just been an emotional push by the Americans. The Ukrainians are not saying that they're panicking about this. The Russians certainly are saying they're not doing that, but we can't always just trust the Russians. I would echo, though, what President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy told President [Joe] Biden.
"The Ukrainian president very clearly said to the American president, 'Your policy isn't working, it's the worst of both worlds. First of all, you're not deterring Russia and secondly, you're causing panic with all of this talk and killing the economy.'"
Zelenskyy in late January called on the West not to create panic and said warnings of an imminent invasion were putting Ukraine's economy at risk.
"There are signals even from respected leaders of states, they just say that tomorrow there will be war. This is panic — how much does it cost for our state?" he said during a press conference in Kyiv.
The "destabilization of the situation inside the country" was the biggest threat to Ukraine, he said.
Biden on Thursday said he believes Russia will attack Ukraine "within the next several days," characterizing the risk of an invasion as "very high."
If that's the case, Grenell says, the U.S. should implement sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
"Why are we waiting to see blood before reacting with sanctions," he told Newsmax. "I'd like to see the State Department be more empowered with peaceful diplomacy before putting boots on the ground."
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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