Russia will face
"a disaster"
if it invades Ukraine.
Joe Bien raised his voice Wednesday, during a press conference held the day before his first birthday at the White House.
"It will be a disaster for Russia if it invades Ukraine any further,"
the US president told a news conference, warning of
"heavy"
battlefield casualties and
unprecedented
"severe"
sanctions against the Russian economy.
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Asked about President Putin's intentions, he replied,
"I think he still doesn't want a full-scale war."
However,
“he will test the West”
, and
“he will have to do something”
and probably
“move”
towards Ukraine in one way or another, he predicted.
The reaction and the unity of the West will depend on what Moscow will do, recognized Joe Biden.
"If it's a minor incursion"
, NATO members risk being divided on the extent of the response,
"but if they do what they are capable of with the forces they have massed on the border , it will be a disaster for Russia
,” he insisted. Among the sanctions, he clearly hinted that Moscow could be hit in the wallet.
"If they invade, they will pay for it, they will no longer be able to go through the banks, they will not be able to make transactions in dollars
," he warned.
The American president, however, extended his hand to the demands of Russia, which is demanding a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO and that the West will not deploy strategic weapons on Ukrainian territory.
On the first point, he argued that in fact, it was unlikely that Kiev would become a member of the Atlantic Alliance in the near future - even if in principle, the latter does not close its door.
On the second,
"we can find a solution"
, on the basis of reciprocity, he assured.
