‘He’ll move in’
Russia yesterday condemned US President Joe Biden's vow of a "severe" response to any invasion of Ukraine as "destabilising", as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened talks with key European allies for a common strategy against Moscow.
The Kremlin's reaction came after Biden in Washington assessed that Vladimir Putin will "move in" on Ukraine and warned that would be a "disaster for Russia".
Biden said he did not believe that 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.
However, Biden raised eyebrows when he appeared to suggest that a small-scale attack by the Russians would prompt much less pushback from the West.
The White House quickly issued a statement clarifying that what he meant was that any military invasion would prompt a "severe" response, while non-military aggression, like paramilitary attacks, would be met with a "reciprocal" response.
Powerful Republican Senator Lindsey Graham described Biden's comment as "unnerving."
Biden was speaking ahead of a meeting today in Geneva between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva.
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 appeared to suggest ways of deconfliction, playing down Putin's biggest worries, that Ukraine would join Nato and that the West would position strategic weapons in Ukraine.
Speaking on the eve of the anniversary of his inauguration on January 20, 2021, Biden rejected criticism over his handling of the pandemic and soaring inflation.
On one of the most traumatic episodes of his presidency -- the chaotic and rushed final withdrawal from the 20-year long Afghanistan war -- Biden said flatly: "I make no apologies."
Biden also confirmed he would keep Kamala Harris as his vice presidential running mate if he seeks re-election in 2024.
Meanwhile, Russia yesterday announced it will hold huge naval drills in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Mediterranean this month and February. The war games will involve "more than 140 warships and support vessels, more than 60 aircraft, 1,000 pieces of military equipment, and about 10,000 servicemen," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies.
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