President announces additional economic sanctions, NATO support, but assures U.S. won’t be sending troops to Ukraine
Jon Blistein
Feb 25, 2022
President Joe Biden announced U.S. troop commitments to bolster NATO allies and additional sanctions while condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden was adamant that the U.S. would not deploy troops to Ukraine, but some forces would be mobilized in the region, including sending additional U.S. service members to Germany. “Our forces are not, and will not be, engaged in a conflict with Russia in Ukraine,” Biden said at a press conference Thursday. “Our forces are not going to Europe to fight in Ukraine, but to defend our NATO allies and reassure those allies in the East. As I made crystal clear, the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power.”
Rather, the United States will impose additional sanctions on Russia, which Biden said were designed to hinder Russia’s ability to partake in the global economy and grow their military. The sanctions will primarily target major Russian banks and “corrupt billionaires” with ties to the Kremlin. Biden also said there will be efforts to cut off Russia’s access to “high-tech imports” to stymie any additional military advances.
With Russia being one of the world’s largest oil producers, Biden acknowledged the potential impact of these sanctions on already high gas and energy prices. He said he would use every tool at the administration’s “disposal to protect American families and businesses from rising prices at the gas pump.” Noting the sanctions package were designed “to allow energy payments to continue, Biden warned America’s own gas and oil companies to “not exploit this moment to hike their prices to raise profits.”https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.502.0_en.html#goog_1207271349
Elsewhere in the press conference, Biden reiterated America’s readiness to respond to any potential Russian cyberattacks against U.S. companies or infrastructure. He also issued a sharp rebuke of Putin, saying he had “no plans” to speak with the Russian president and calling him “the aggressor” in this situation.
“Putin chose this war,” Biden said. “And now he and his country will bear the consequences.”
From Rolling Stone US.