Washington: US President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he expects Russia to “move-in” on Ukraine but warned that Moscow will pay a stiff price for a full-blown invasion.
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, predicting a “minor incursion” to test the United States.
With more than 100,000 troops and war-making machinery poised on Ukraine’s borders, Moscow has sent alarms through the West over its threat to Kyiv.
Biden warned Moscow against a full invasion, saying: “Our allies and partners are ready to impose severe costs and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy.”
“If they actually do what they’re capable of doing with the force they’ve massed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia,” Biden told reporters. “The cost of going into Ukraine in terms of physical loss of life, for the Russians… it’s going to be heavy.”
The US leader sparked controversy however when he suggested that “something significantly short of a significant invasion” would be met with a lesser pushback from NATO.
“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.
