President Joe Biden says sending troops to Ukraine is “not in the cards right now.”
On Tuesday, Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call and voiced his concerns regarding Russia’s military presence along the Ukrainian border.
While speaking to reporters Wednesday, Biden addressed the idea of sending troops to Ukraine.
“The idea the United States will unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now,” Biden said.
He continued, “But what will happen is, there will be severe consequences.”
"The idea the United States will unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now." — President Biden pic.twitter.com/htzesIAh3X
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 8, 2021
The president explained, “We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO allies if they were to attack under Article 5. It’s a sacred obligation. That obligation does not extend … to Ukraine.”
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According to a statement from the White House, Biden made it clear to Putin that “the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation.”
He also “reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.”
Additionally, Biden and Putin “discussed the U.S.-Russia dialogue on Strategic Stability, a separate dialogue on ransomware, as well as joint work on regional issues such as Iran.”
The Russian president commented on the call during a press conference of his own on Wednesday.
“We agreed that an appropriate structure will be created that will be able to professionally deal with this,” Putin said.
He continued, “The conversation was very open, substantive and constructive. I hope that this is how the American side assesses the results as well. We have the opportunity to continue the dialogue, and I think this is the most important thing.”
As The Associated Press notes, on Thursday, Biden is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.