The United States is not considering sending troops to Ukraine,” President Joe Biden told reporters on Wednesday, emphasizing that this option “is not on the table” amid mounting concerns over the possibility of a military invasion by Russia, The Hill reported.
The declaration is sure to rankle advocates of a stronger stance against Russian aggression.
The president declared that “we have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO allies if they were to attack under Article 5, it’s a sacred obligation.” He added, though, that this “obligation does not extend to … Ukraine.”
Although Biden said it would “depend upon what the rest of the NATO countries were willing to do as well,” he rejected the notion that the U.S. might “unilaterally use force to confront Russia” in the event of an invasion.
The president's remarks came a day after his virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Tensions have been high after Moscow sent 70,000 Russian troops to the borders of Ukraine, surrounding the country on three sides, according to CNN.
Biden said on Wednesday, “I made it very clear, if in fact he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences.” He said Putin would incur economic penalties “like none he has ever seen,” adding that “I am absolutely confident that he got the message,” The Hill reported.
Biden also said he told Putin he would almost assuredly have to boost the number of U.S. troops in Europe to reassure NATO allies of continued American support if Russia did invade Ukraine, CNN reported.
Putin has fiercely opposed the presence of NATO troops along Russia's border, saying they are a threat to his nation’s security.
Biden has encouraged Putin to de-escalate the situation through diplomacy, stressing to reporters that “the positive news is that thus far our teams have been in constant contact.”
The president added, "We hope by Friday we'll be able to say, to announce to you, that we're having meetings at a higher level, not just with us, but with at least four major NATO allies and Russia, to discuss the future of Russia's concerns relative to NATO writ large and whether or not we can work out any accommodations when it comes to bringing down the temperature along the eastern front." This was reported by CNN.
Putin said during his own press conference on Wednesday that he and Biden had agreed to continue the security talks; he further said that Russia would present its parameters for the discussions to the United States within a week.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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