US President Joe Biden on Wednesday warned that President Putin will have to pay a stiff price in case Russia invades Ukraine. However, he also acknowledged that Nato was divided on how to respond in case it's only a 'minor incursion' by Russia. As the 'minor incursion' part of Biden's statement generated a lot of anxiety, The White House immediately clarified that any movement of Russian forces over the border would be treated as an invasion.
Responding to a question on the evolving situation at the Russia-Ukraine border and President Putin's intentions, Joe Biden said: “I’m not so sure he is certain what he’s going to do. My guess is he will move in… (Russia will) pay a stiff price, immediately, short-term, medium-term and long-term if they do it.” The US president made these remarks while addressing a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office.
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“What you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades and it depends on what it does,” Biden said. “It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion, and then we end up having to fight about what to do and not do etc,” he added. US secretary of state Anthony Blinken recently visited Ukraine and reinforced the West’s support of the former's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Blinken believes that the number of Russian troops placed at the Ukrainian borders could double on a short order. This can be construed as a veiled reference to Russia moving its troops to Belarus for joint military activities scheduled next month where Russia plans to deploy its Sukhoi-Su-35 and S-400 missile systems, as per an Defence Ministry notification.
These statements come on the back of official meetings between Russia and NATO in Brussels on January 12 which ended in a stalemate. Russian officials also held an inconclusive meeting with the U.S. officials in Geneva on 10th January. Russia has demanded a legal assurance from the U.S. that Ukraine will never be allowed to become a part of NATO. It has also demanded that NATO must withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe, back to pre 1997-level deployments, both of which America has refused to accept.
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