Biden: The free world is going to hold Putin accountable 5:10
(CNN) --
US President Joe Biden has warned Americans that they will have to pay a price for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, saying fuel prices are likely to rise.
Although the post-World War II world order that has kept Europe relatively peaceful is under threat, Biden has been very clear on several occasions that US troops will not be deployed to Ukraine to participate in the conflict.
Russia - Ukraine war: latest news and news
Why doesn't the United States send troops to Ukraine?
During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US president stressed that US troops would not fight on the ground and assured Americans of their security amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
"Let me be clear: our forces are not and will not be participating in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine," he said.
Night view of Kyiv as the mayor declared a curfew from 10 pm to 7 am on February 24, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine.
(Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Earlier, when he announced sanctions against Russia for the start of its invasion, Biden was careful to make it clear that the United States was not being aggressive towards Russia.
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"Let me be clear: These are totally defensive moves on our part. We have no intention of fighting Russia," Biden said.
In early February, Biden told NBC News that he would not consider any scenario that would include sending US troops to evacuate Americans in Ukraine.
"There isn't. That's a world war if the Americans and Russia start shooting at each other," he said.
Biden imposes additional sanctions on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine: "Putin chose this war"
While Biden's clarification that US troops would not engage offensively may help avoid a US-Russian conflict, critics noted that he also made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his forces would face fewer obstacles in the war. his invasion.
"Biden diluted our most important source of influence in this crisis," Ian Brzezinski, a former Pentagon official under President George W. Bush, told
The
New York Times
earlier this month.
A woman walks past rubble after Russian shelling, in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia launched a barrage of air and missile strikes against Ukraine early Thursday and Ukrainian officials said Russian troops have been approached the country from the north, east and south.
(AP Photo/Evgeny Maloletka)
There are US troops in countries bordering Ukraine
A specialist assures that NATO will not be able to intervene in Ukraine 0:40
One of the main factors behind Putin's invasion is his fear that Ukraine will become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was formed after World War II to contain the Soviet Union and has expanded in recent decades to incorporate the countries of the former Soviet bloc.
What is NATO and when does it act?
Ukraine borders the NATO member countries of Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.
If Russia threatened one of these countries, the United States would be bound by the agreement to defend them.
Biden said the US would stick to the principle of NATO's Article 5, which says that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all member countries.
In Tuesday's remarks, he promised: "As I have made abundantly clear, the United States and our allies will defend every inch of NATO country territory with the full force of our collective might."
He made a similar point last week, speaking from the White House, but added clearly: "We will not send troops to fight in Ukraine either, but we will continue to support the Ukrainian people."
For Ukraine, the president offered "more than $1 billion in direct assistance to Ukraine," including military, economic and humanitarian aid from the US and its allies.
People wait for a bus at the bus station to evacuate Kiev on February 24, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Overnight, Russia began a full-scale attack on Ukraine, with explosions reported in several cities and far beyond the restive eastern regions held by Russian-backed rebels.
(Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)
Movement of troops within NATO countries
Survey: 1 in 2 Russians support using military force 0:32
Although Biden has vowed not to send US troops to Ukraine, in recent weeks the United States has sent more soldiers and warplanes to Eastern European countries, such as Poland and Romania, and put 8,500 US troops on high alert.
5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address
During his State of the Union address, the US president assured that US troops were deployed to Europe not to fight in Ukraine, "but to defend our NATO allies in case Putin decides to continue advancing towards Ukraine." West".
"For that purpose, we have mobilized US ground forces, air squadrons, ship deployments to protect NATO countries, including Poland, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia," he added.
Opposition to further US involvement
The Republicans' response to Biden's measures 0:49
Americans are wary of US involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to polls conducted in the run-up to the Russian invasion.
In an AP-NORC poll, conducted from last Friday to this Monday, only 26% of Americans believe that the United States should play a significant role in the situation between Russia and Ukraine.
About half, 52%, said they should play a minor role, and another 20% said they should play no role at all.
A third of Democrats (32%) and 22% of Republicans wanted the United States to play a major role.
Independents were the most likely to say that the United States should play no role;
32% thought so, compared to 22% of Republicans and 14% of Democrats.
In light of the polls, Biden and US officials would have to be very careful about engaging the public before changing the administration's position on the commitment of US troops.
CNN's Barbara Starr and Ariel Edwards-Levy contributed to this report. Updated March 3.
Conflict Russia - UkraineWar in UkraineJoe Biden