In a Thursday speech at the White House, President Joe Biden laid out some of the initial stages of the stern U.S. response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began early Thursday (in local time). The Russian assault on the smaller country has already included strikes targeting the capital, and going forward, Biden has now outlined strong economic sanctions against various elements of Russian society and a re-commitment to militarily defending the countries of NATO. These remarks strikingly contrast with the position that former President Trump has taken; before the full-fledged invasion began but after Russia announced recognition for two independent countries on Ukrainian territory and revealed troop deployment plans for the areas, Trump called Putin’s moves “genius” and “savvy.”
After today’s actions announced by @POTUS, the top ten Russian financial institutions, representing nearly 80% of the country’s banking assets, are under Treasury restrictions. https://t.co/6pH9IDWFYp
— Lily Adams (@adamslily) February 24, 2022
Meanwhile, Biden was unequivocal in his remarks condemning Russian aggression. He also reiterated the commitment by the U.S. to NATO — an alliance that Putin has frequently gone after and which Trump himself has repeatedly challenged while in the public spotlight. As Biden commented this Thursday:
‘Putin is the aggressor. Putin chose this war, and now he and his country will bear the consequences. Today, I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia. This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time. We have purposefully designed these sanctions to maximize the long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and our allies… We’re going to stunt the ability to finance and grow the Russian military… Today, we’re also blocking four more major banks. That means every asset they have in America will be frozen. This includes VTB, the second-largest bank in Russia, which has $250 billion in assets.’
The Secretary of Defense has ordered the deployment of 7,000 US service members to Europe, a senior defense official told reporters shortly after President Biden’s announcement. (corrects typo)
— Natasha Bertrand (@NatashaBertrand) February 24, 2022
The scope of the sanctions that Biden was discussing on Thursday went well on from there, targeting Russia’s involvement in technological development and certain financially formidable individuals in Russian society. Biden also spoke of an impending summit of leaders from dozens of nations involved in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); the gathering, Biden said, will be meant to “affirm our solidarity and to map out the next steps we will take to further strengthen all aspects of our NATO alliance.” In addition, the president reiterated that the U.S. military presence in Europe is not meant for direct confrontations with Russia. Rather, U.S. personnel are angling to shore up the defenses of nations involved in NATO. Biden added as follows after referencing potential fluctuations in gas prices for Americans:
‘This aggression cannot go unanswered. If it did, the consequences for America would be much worse. America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom. This is who we are… This is a dangerous moment for all of Europe, for freedom around the world. Putin has committed an assault on the very principles that uphold the global peace. But now, the entire world sees clearly what Putin and his Kremlin allies are really all about… In the contest between democracy and autocracy, between sovereignty and subjugation, make no mistake: freedom will prevail.’
Watch Biden below:
