President Joe Biden said that the United States would respond “decisively” if Russia “further invades Ukraine,” according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
This announcement follows Biden’s anticipated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. spoke today with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine. President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” Psaki said in a 130-word statement. “The leaders expressed support for diplomatic efforts, starting next week with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.”
“President Biden underscored the commitment of the United States and its allies and partners to the principle of ‘nothing about you without you,’” Psaki continued. “He reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also expressed support for confidence-building measures to de-escalate tensions in Donbas and active diplomacy to advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, in support of the Normandy Format.”
Earlier in December, it was reported that a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation would visit Ukraine as tensions regarding a potential Russian military invasion against the former Soviet-controlled nation grew.
As The Daily Wire reported, “Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, organized the trip. Reps. Seth Moulton (D-MA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Mike Waltz (R-FL), and Joe Wilson (R-SC) also joined the delegation.”
Just one day earlier, the Group of Seven (G7) nations released a statement opposing any potential Russian invasion of Ukraine, warning of “severe costs” if any attack should occur.
The statement from the G7 nations included the foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.S., along with the High Representative of the European Union. The nations proclaimed that they “are united in our condemnation of Russia’s military build-up and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine.”
The statement also called on Russia to de-escalate its current actions.
“We call on Russia to de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities as President Biden did in his call with President Putin on 7 December,” the leaders said.
“We reconfirm our support for the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy Format to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements in order to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine,” the statement added.
Biden also met with President Putin on December 7, after which the White House released a readout of the video call, which was just 145 words in length:
President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. held a secure video call today with President Vladimir Putin of Russia to discuss a range of issues on the U.S.-Russia agenda. President Biden voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation. President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy. The two presidents tasked their teams to follow up, and the U.S. will do so in close coordination with allies and partners. The presidents also discussed the U.S.-Russia dialogue on Strategic Stability, a separate dialogue on ransomware, as well as joint work on regional issues such as Iran.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at @ighaworth.
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Source: Dailywire
