Biden threatens personal sanctions on Putin if Russia invades Ukraine
Global News
U.S. President Joe Biden repeated that there were no plans to send U.S. troops to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, amid growing concerns about Russian threats.
Western leaders stepped up preparations for any Russian military action in Ukraine on Tuesday, with talks taking place on protecting energy supplies and President Joe Biden saying he would consider imposing direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin.
Tensions remained high after NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets in response to Russia’s troop build-up near its border with Ukraine.
Russia, which denies planning an attack, said it was watching with “great concern.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated Moscow’s line that the crisis was being driven by U.S. and NATO actions, not the Russian troop build-up.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a televised video address on Tuesday evening, urged his compatriots to stay calm and said work was underway to bring about a meeting between him and the leaders of Russia, Germany and France.
“There are no rose-colored glasses, no childish illusions, everything is not simple…. But there is hope,” he said.
Biden repeated that there were no plans to send U.S. troops to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, but said he would consider imposing direct sanctions on Putin and that there would be “enormous consequences” if Russia invaded.
Reporters asked Biden if he would see himself personally sanctioning Putin if he invaded Ukraine.