Biden vows ‘disaster for Russia’ if he invades Ukraine

Posted on 01/19/2022 20:53

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday (1/19) that Russia will pay a heavy price in The case of the invasion of Ukraine, including the heavy human cost and severe damage to its economy. “It would be a disaster for Russia,” Biden said, adding that the Russians might win in the end, but their losses “will be great.”

“If they really do what they can do with the force that they have amassed on the border, that would be a disaster for Russia,” Biden told a news conference.

Our allies and partners are ready to impose high costs and significant damage on Russia and its economy.

The US president added that Russian power could likely prevail over time against the weaker Ukrainian army.

However, Biden noted that “the cost of going to Ukraine in terms of loss of life for the Russians … will be exorbitant.”

Biden said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin “does not yet want an all-out war” with Ukraine.

He predicted, however, that Putin would “test the West” and “will have to do something” and possibly “move forward” toward Ukraine one way or another.

Biden said Russia did not have good options and going to war would have “serious economic consequences” from lowering energy revenues to painful sanctions.

The US president said the sanctions would make it impossible for the Russian banking system to trade in US dollars, the world’s main trading currency.

But he added that Putin wants to test the resolve of the United States and its NATO allies in Europe and aims to weaken the Atlantic alliance.

Biden said most of his time was spent trying to keep NATO allies “on the same page” regarding Russia.