On Thursday, the United States and Western countries sought to display unity and a harsh position on Ukraine, as US President Joe Biden warned that allies were divided on how to respond to any potential “minor incursion” by Russia.
Biden retracted his remarks during a news conference on Wednesday, saying that “I have made it quite clear to President Vladimir Putin that there is no misunderstanding. If any assembled Russian units cross the Ukrainian border, it is considered an invasion “..
Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops on its borders with Ukraine, and Western countries fear that Moscow is contemplating a second assault on the country which got invaded in 2014. Russia denies planning an attack, but says it may take unspecified military action if a list of demands is not met, including NATO’s vow not to admit Ukraine as a member.
Biden said at a news conference on Wednesday that he anticipated Putin to take action and that Washington and its allies might disagree on how to respond if Moscow stopped short of a big invasion.
A such invasion would be faced with a “severe and coordinated response, economic response as negotiated in detail with our friends, as put out very clearly with President Putin,” according to Biden.
His words echoed those of senior administration officials early on Thursday, as the White House moved to dispel any notion that a smaller-scale Russian military intervention would be met with a softer US response.
“It’s one thing if it’s a tiny intrusion and we wind up fighting about what to do and what not to do, and so on,” Putin said, adding that an invasion would be a “disaster” for Russia.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy reacted angrily, tweeting in both English and Ukrainian:
“We want the major powers to know that there are no little incursions or small states. There are no small casualties and little sadness from the loss of loved ones, just as there are no minor casualties and little grief from the loss of loved ones.”
Biden’s words on Wednesday threw his administration and allies into damage control mode, emphasising unity.
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