Biden: Putin will pay high price for invading Ukraine; 'He has no idea what’s coming'
March 2, 2022, 6:59 am

Biden: Putin will pay high price for invading Ukraine; 'He has no idea what’s coming'

The mayor of Vilnius, Remigis Shimasius, painted the sign "Putin, The Hague is waiting for you" on the road opposite the Russian embassy in Lithuania (File photo and text: Euromaidan Press)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed that Russia’s Vladimir Putin will pay dearly over the long run even for his invasion of Ukraine, even if his military campaign succeeds in the short term.

Biden said in his State of the Union address: “While he may make gains on the battlefield – he will pay a continuing high price over the long run.” Straying from the prepared text, Biden added “He has no idea what’s coming,” but he did not elaborate.

The report said that Biden spoke to Congress on the sixth day of Russia’s invasion of its European neighbor and as Kyiv stared down a miles-long armored Russian column potentially preparing to take over the Ukrainian capital, and the US and a growing group of allies tighten sanctions.

In the prime time speech, Biden announced a new step banning Russian flights from using American airspace and a Justice Department effort to seize the yachts, luxury apartments and private jets of wealthy Russians with ties to Putin.

He also signaled steps to hobble Russia’s military in the future, even as he acknowledged it could improve its position in Ukraine.

He said: “We are choking off Russia’s access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come."

He mentioned: “When the history of this era is written Putin’s war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger."

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Biden, who spoke earlier in the day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has rejected direct US military participation on the ground in Ukraine.

But the US government has shared intelligence on Russia’s operations and led the world in imposing a historic set of economic sanctions on Putin’s government, allies and the country’s largest banks, sending the currency into freefall.

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It should be noted that nearly a week since Russian troops poured over the border, they have not captured any major Ukrainian cities after running into fiercer resistance than they expected.

Source: arabnews

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.