President Biden caused quite the stir during his press conference on Wednesday when he suggested the US might not do anything if Russia carried out a “minor incursion” into Ukraine. On Thursday, he clarified that the US would respond if any Russian forces entered Ukraine.
“I’ve been absolutely clear with President Putin. He has no misunderstanding. If any — any — assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion,” Biden said.
The president added that a Russian invasion would be “met with the severe and coordinated economic response that I’ve discussed in detail with our allies, as well as laid out very clearly for President Putin.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to be offended by Biden’s minor incursion comment and aired his grievances on Twitter earlier in the day. “We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations. Just as there are no minor casualties and little grief from the loss of loved ones. I say this as the President of a great power,” he wrote.
Biden’s apparent gaffe was also clarified by other US officials and some NATO allies. In Berlin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken preached a message of unity. “No matter which path Russia chooses, it will find the United States, Germany, and our allies, united,” he said.
Blinken is set to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday. While it appears the US is keen on escalating tensions, Biden said on Thursday that there’s “room to work” with Putin on the security guarantees he is seeking on Ukraine.
Who is running this government? It sure isn’t Biden.
Well, it can’t be Harris; she’s no Cheney.
It has the feel of government by committee, but which one(s)? Washington has no shortage of executive committees.
Maybe there’s an AI.
She could be a Dick. 😉
“I’ve been absolutely clear with President Putin.”
I wonder if President Putin has a clear understanding of anything Biden may have said to him.
Buden has been clear to Putin?
He has nit been clear in plain spoken English as he struggles to form a sentence. Try translating that to Russian?
Biden appears to be falling into a pattern of telling his truth in a short lucid sentence when caught off the cuff.
Then walking that back when his handlers catch up with the latest draft of the official script to phone in.
Can’t tell if he’s in genuine cognitive decline or just exasperated and tuning out the stupid around him.
Bidden may be gaffe-prone, but its increasingly hard to separate that from the background buzz.
Must be all that oxygen-depriving COVID-1984 mask wearing.
No one has pointed out – except Alexander Mercouris in his video today – that what Biden was mangling was the concept that the EU agreement on what sanctions might be applied depends on how extensive the Ukraine conflict was. Mercouris has been pointing out divisions among the NATO members over the economic impact of US sanctions on Russia. Mercouris is the only commentator I’ve seen (other than myself) who correctly points out that Biden was saying he wasn’t sure what kind of “fight” he would have with the EU over what level of sanctions should be applied.
Mercouris points out in his video that Biden’s press conference had many other weird constructs in it and that overall it was a disaster. Among other things Biden said the Russia oil and gas industry is 45% of the Russian economy, which Mercouris said was utterly wrong, it is only 10% of Russian GDP.
Mercouris also pointed out the absurdity of the President of the United States “guessing” that Putin would invade Ukraine.
This is what you get from the sort of “Leader of the Free World” that the US electorate insists on electing every four years.
All of the “newspapers” in the “Western democracies” have plans of the alleged attack Russia is about to launch.Check out RT for them all, to take your mind off covid-19!!! NONE give any possible word of why Pres. Putin has turned stark staring mad to be just like Biden and Stultifyingberg NATO. Ukraine is the most important “nation” in the world (ask Zelensky, the “president of a great power”-we have his word) while Russia wants security in its own territory, an idea unheard of and impossible to imagine by the USA∕NATO.
Biden certainly needs to memorize his lines and not do too much adlibing. He has a penchant to wander off topic and policy. I think, so far, he has done a quite good job on this unpleasant topic. which is the result of putsch that the Obama crew of Clinton & Nuland did for God knows why, except to heat up the rhetoric & nearly kick of WWIII……and lose Crimea. Not the best reference to use when seeking statecraft responsibilty She will be trying too get Biden to talk tough & ‘be uncompromising. Maybe SHE can get Crimea back, from the sidelines, to redeem any faith at all in her tactics and execution. She is the albatross that Biden brought onboard.
Biden appears barely able read the teleprompter, never mind memorize anything anymore.
How lucky that the USA’s Top Diplomat is such a clear, fair, truthful, agreeable negotiator, quite the equivalent of Sergei Lavrov!!! Boorish Blinken wins again!!!!
Biden rowed back on his comments, made during a Wednesday news conference, saying on Thursday that “I have been absolutely clear with President (Vladimir) Putin, he has no misunderstanding. If any, any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border that is an invasion”.
So, is Joe telling us an “invasion” is different from an “incursion”? Wouldn’t they be using “assembled Russian units” with weapons if they did either? I mean if he’s going to walk back his comment, shouldn’t he have just said he misspoke?
Even though part of his job is never to alarm the American sheeple, probably Biden is giving us more truth than the West Execs, and we should be grateful for that, …I think. Only look at the parties throwing hissy-fits, Blinken & Zelenski, pretty solid indicators who ‘s bluffing.
So, is this what you get when you contract a total fucking stranger to pretend that he’s ‘governmenting’?