Biden Says Sending US Troops to Ukraine Is ‘Not on the Table’

Putin is hoping to continue a dialogue with the US on Ukraine

On Wednesday, President Biden told reporters that he is not considering sending troops to Ukraine to confront Russia.

Biden’s comments came a day after he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the tensions surrounding Ukraine. The US is accusing Russia of building up troops near Ukraine to prepare for an invasion, a charge that Moscow denies.

“That is not on the table,” Biden said when asked by reporters if the US would send troops to Ukraine if Russia invades. The president noted that Ukraine is not a member of NATO and has no security guarantees from the US or the alliance.

“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,” he said.

During talks with Putin, Biden warned that if Russia invaded, the US would impose harsh sanctions on Moscow, send more troops to NATO’s “eastern flank” that borders Russia, and send more weapons to Ukraine.

Putin said Wednesday that he hopes to continue dialogue with the US on the situations and plans on sending proposals to Washington to reduce tensions. The Russian leader is seeking guarantees that NATO won’t continue to expand eastward or put missiles in Ukraine that could target Russian territory.

Putin also called the suggestion that Russia was planning to invade Ukraine was “provocative.” On Monday, CIA Director William Burns said US intelligence agencies have not concluded that Putin is planning an invasion, contradicting recent US media reports.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.