WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden said yesterday that Russia has begun to invade Ukraine but that there was still time for diplomacy to avoid the “worst-case scenario” of a full-blown assault on the country.
“This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the US leader said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s declared plans to send troops deep into the Donbas region in southeast Ukraine.
“He’s setting up a rationale to take more territory by force,” Biden said in a nationwide address from the White House.
“And if we listened to his speech last night...he’s setting up a rationale to go much further,” Biden said.
Biden announced more sanctions targeting Russian finances and political elite, in hopes that the pressure will deter a wholesale invasion.
He said that the US would continue to supply “defensive” weapons to Ukraine and deploy more US troops to reinforce Nato allies in Eastern Europe.
But he suggested that diplomatic talks could stem a worsening of the crisis, one of the deepest in Europe since World War II.
“There’s no question that Russia is the aggressor, so we’re clear-eyed about the challenges we’re facing,” Biden said.
“Nonetheless, there is still time to avert the worst case scenario that will bring untold suffering to millions of people if they move as suggested,” he said. – AFP, February 23, 2022
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