Biden warns Putin of ‘swift and severe costs’ amid fears of Ukraine invasion
The United States President Joe Biden on Saturday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the consequences of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine would be “swift and severe.”
In an hour-long phone call, Biden said the United States and its allies would respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs” if the Kremlin attacked its neighbor, according to the White House statement.
Biden also said that invading Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering” and that the West was committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but “equally prepared for other scenarios.”
United States has warned that the risk of a Russian invasion is now “high” and “immediate.” White House has also urged all Americans in Ukraine to leave within the next 48 hours,
Russia has denied intensions to invade but has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Blinken made clear that a diplomatic path to resolving the crisis remained open, but it would require Moscow to deescalate and engage in good-faith discussions. He reiterated that further aggression would be met with resolute, massive, and united Transatlantic response.
