Ukraine: President Joe Biden believes Vladimir Putin does not desire a full-fledged conflict in Ukraine and that if he goes forward with a military assault, he will pay a "heavy price."
At a news conference on Wednesday to commemorate his one-year in office, Biden also stated that he believes Russia is ready to intervene in Ukraine, though he does not believe Putin has made a final decision. He hinted that if Russia invaded Ukraine again, he might restrict its access to the international banking system. "I'm not convinced he knows what he's going to do," Biden stated. "My guess is he'll move in," he said.
With crucial discussions on the horizon, the US and Russia showed no signs on Wednesday that they will budge from their hardline positions on Ukraine, which have prompted concerns of a Russian invasion and a new European war.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking in Kyiv, accused Russia of plotting to reinforce the more than 100,000 troops stationed along the Ukrainian border, implying that the number may treble "in quite short order." Blinken did not go into detail, but Russia has dispatched an undefined number of troops from the far east to its ally Belarus, which shares a border with Ukraine, for massive war games next month.
Putin discusses Kazakhstan with leaders of CSTO member states by phone
