Biden Gives Up on Stopping Putin in Ukraine: ‘He Will Move In, He Has to Do Something’

President Joe Biden appeared to give up the idea of stopping Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, telling reporters at a press conference Wednesday that “he will move in, he has to do something.”

Biden answered questions at a special press conference to mark the first year of his presidency. He was asked several questions about the crisis in Eastern Europe and what he would do to stop Russia from invading Ukraine.

Asked whether the U.S. and NATO had lost their leverage over Russia and Putin, since Biden had ruled out using troops to stop an invasion, Biden at first defended his threat to impose economic sanctions: “He’s never seen sanctions like the ones I’ve promised will be imposed if he moves.” He pledged that there would be “severe economic consequences,” and that Russian banks could be restricted from using dollars in transactions.

But Biden seemed to concede that Russia might invade, and that the U.S. reaction might depend on whether it was a “minor incursion” or something more significant. He warned that Russia would suffer “consequential” casualties in fighting Ukraine, suggesting that Russia would pay a heavy internal price from a prolonged occupation of a foreign country.- READ MORE