President Joe Biden said he would not deploy combat troops to Ukraine amid concerns that Russian troops could invade the country.
“We have no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine. But we — I said there are going to be serious economic consequences if he moves,” Biden said Tuesday during a stop in Washington, D.C., warning that the effects of a Russian invasion would stretch worldwide.
The White House is instead leaning on a threat of new export controls targeting strategic Russian industries to deter Moscow’s threats. Russian President Vladimir Putin has massed some 120,000 Russian troops along Ukraine’s eastern border, threatening an invasion.
Biden said such a move would have historic consequences.
“This would be the largest, if you were to move in, with all those forces, it would be the largest invasion since World War II,” Biden said. “It would change the world.”
The Kremlin has said that the United States fueled the conflict with an announcement that it is placing 8,500 troops on alert. During a briefing Tuesday, press secretary Jen Psaki said in response that Washington is committed to protecting NATO allies.
“We take our commitment to our eastern flank partners, NATO allies, very seriously,” Psaki said, calling the U.S. position on Article Five “ironclad.” “But what is important to note is that the aggressive behavior here is on the part of the Russians.”
Earlier in the day, Psaki said the White House was still concerned about the potential for an attack.
“When we said it was imminent, it remains imminent,” she said. “But again, we can’t make a prediction of what decision President Putin will make. We’re still engaged in diplomatic discussions and negotiations.”
“Imminent has a pretty intense meaning, doesn’t it?” she said in response to a question asking whether Biden’s view had shifted since last week.
Psaki said last Tuesday that the White House feared “Russia could at any point launch an attack on Ukraine.”
