US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that Russia maintains a “threatening” military stance against Ukraine and that it is still “clearly possible” for it to invade the country. The statement came even after Moscow announced the withdrawal of some military units from the border region with the neighboring country. According to the White House, there is still no evidence that the alleged withdrawal of some of the troops actually took place.
“Our analysts indicate that (the Russian military) remains in a totally threatening posture, and the fact is that, right now, Russia has more than 150,000 troops around Ukraine and Belarus,” he said.
Biden also said he agrees with the Russian government that diplomacy must have “every opportunity to triumph” and that there are “real ways of dealing with security concerns” for both Russia and Ukraine and the West.
“As long as there is hope for a diplomatic solution that prevents the use of force and avoids incredible human suffering, we will keep trying,” he promised.
However, he stressed that it is “clearly possible” for Russia to invade the neighboring country, noting that if it does, it will unleash “a chosen war, a war without cause or reason”, which will have “immense” human costs for Ukraine and serious “strategic” consequences for Moscow.
In addition, he acknowledged that a Russian attack on Ukraine would not be “painless” for the United States either, because there could be “an impact on energy prices” for Americans, which are already high, which is why the White House is trying ” relieve pressure” on that market.
“The American people understand that defending democracy and freedom always comes at a cost,” he said.
Biden added that, if necessary, the US “will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power” should there be an attack against countries that, unlike Ukraine, are part of the Atlantic Alliance.
Finally, the US president said he trusts Russia “will choose diplomacy”, for “historical responsibility” and “global stability”, but warned that the US and its allies “will not hesitate to respond” if Moscow opts for an invasion, something the Kremlin says it doesn’t want to do.
In an interview with international agencies, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also expressed skepticism about the Russian announcement: “We don’t believe what we hear, we will believe when we see it.” In the same vein, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that there are no signs, so far, that Russia is actually withdrawing its troops. “So far, we have not seen any sign of a reduction in the Russian military presence on the borders with Ukraine,” he said.
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