During a press conference in Brussels Wednesday afternoon, U.S. President Joe Biden underscored the importance of global unity in order to punish Russia for its “barbaric behavior” in Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Biden met with top officials from NATO, the G7 and the European Union.
“NATO has never, never been more united than it is today. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into Ukraine,” he said.
Biden explained that Putin “was banking on NATO being split” but the group’s cohesion has put massive pressure on the strongman, forcing his nation to endure “crippling” sanctions that will only grow more impactful over time.
In fact, Biden announced yet another tranche of sanctions that target Russian lawmakers, oligarchs, and defense companies that “fuel the Russian war machine.”
A reporter told Biden that sanctions didn’t deter Putin from starting the war in the first place and asked Biden why he thought they’d work to end the military campaign.
“Sanctions never deter,” Biden responded, adding “The maintenance of sanctions, the increasing the pain …. not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year. That’s what will stop him.”
Biden said he wants Russia removed from the G20, but he’s not in a position to make unilateral decisions for the group. The G20 includes authoritarian nations like China and Saudi Arabia.
Biden also touted an influx of Western weapons flowing into Ukrainian hands, noting that his administration has committed two billion dollars in combat technology to the country, including anti-air systems and anti-armor systems. Biden also pledged sustained humanitarian assistance, saying the U.S. would provide one billion dollars in supplies to Ukrainians impacted by the war. He formally announced that the U.S. would accept 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and said he hopes to visit with Ukrainian exiles when he travels to Poland on Friday.
Biden acknowledged that Europe’s food supply is jeopardized by the invasion of Ukraine – the country is responsible for about 30% of the global wheat supply – and that sanctions imposed on Russia have a ripple effect across the continent that can cause a “real” food shortage. But Biden pledged that the U.S. would increase its food exports to Europe.
When asked about Russia’s potential use of chemical weapons, Biden said “We would respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of use.”
Biden also said that he had a frank talk with Chinese President Xi Jingping earlier this month. He said he “made no threats” to Xi, but simply outlined the consequences if China aided Russia, including a potential exodus of Western firms from the communist nation.
“I think that China understands that its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia. And so I am hopeful that he does not get engaged,” Biden said.
A German reporter asked Biden if he was worried that a right-wing populist, like Donald Trump, might run for U.S. president in 2024 and ,if elected, work to diminish NATO’s unity.
Biden said he’s “too long in the tooth” to give up on fighting for Democracy.
On Trump, Biden said, “I’d be very fortunate if I had that same man running against me.”
