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Biden warns of 'disaster for Russia' if they invade Ukraine
Biden said he did not believe that President Vladimir Putin wants a war, but said the Russian leader has created a situation that is proving extremely difficult to defuse -- and that could easily "get out of hand" in the region.
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US President Joe Biden takes questions from reporters during a news conference in the East Room of the White House on January 19, 2022 in Washington, DC. With his approval rating hovering around 42 percent, Biden is approaching the end of his first year in the Oval Office with inflation soaring, COVID-19 raging and his legislative agenda stalled on Capitol Hill. (AFP/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U
S President Joe Biden warned Russia Wednesday that it will pay a stiff price for a full-blown invasion of Ukraine, but sowed confusion by suggesting a "minor" incursion would prompt much less pushback from the West.
Biden said he did not believe that President Vladimir Putin wants a war, but said the Russian leader has created a situation that is proving extremely difficult to defuse -- and that could easily "get out of hand" in the region.
"My guess is he will move in. He has to do something," Biden said during a press conference marking his first year in office.
He said Putin could be planning "something significantly short of a significant invasion" to test the United States and NATO that would be met with a lesser pushback from the allies.
"It's one thing if it's a minor incursion, and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, etcetera," he said.
'Swift' and 'severe'
Republican lawmakers quickly blasted the US leader, accusing him of tacitly okaying an attack by Russian troops.
