Biden said Russia will face “swift and severe consequences” if it chooses to attack Ukraine

biden russia ukraine

President Biden said the US and its partners and allies are prepared for “every scenario” after a UN Security Council meeting on Russia’s “threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

In a statement released by the White House Monday, Biden said the US “made clear to the international community the full implications of that threat — not just for Ukraine, but for core tenets of the UN Charter and the modern international order.”

“If Russia is sincere about addressing our respective security concerns through dialogue, the United States and our Allies and partners will continue to engage in good faith,” the statement continues. “If instead Russia chooses to walk away from diplomacy and attack Ukraine, Russia will bear the responsibility, and it will face swift and severe consequences.”

US Ambassador to UN: Russia intends to amass 30,000 troops near Belarus-Ukraine border by early February

Russia intends to amass tens of thousands of troops near the Belarus-Ukraine border by early February, US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Monday.

Speaking at a UN Security Council meeting, Thomas-Greenfield said the US has “seen evidence that Russia intends to expand that presence to more than 30,000 troops near the Belarus-Ukraine border, less than two hours north of Kyiv, by early February.”

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Biden on Ukraine crises

“Russia has also moved nearly 5,000 troops into Belarus, with short-range ballistic missiles, special forces, and anti-aircraft batteries,” she said.  A US official said that these figures come from declassified US intelligence. US officials have repeatedly warned that Moscow could use Belarus to mount an invasion into neighboring Ukraine. 

“Just as we’ve been clear with the Russian Federation about the severe costs that would befall them were this to move forward, in recent days we’ve also made clear to Belarus that if it allows its territory to be used for an attack on Ukraine, it would face a swift and decisive response from the United States and our allies and partners,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said last week. “We would – if an invasion were to proceed from Belarus, if Russian troops were to permanently station on their territory, NATO could well have to reassess our own force posture in the countries that border Belarus.” 

The Belarusian Ambassador to the UN claimed it was in support of dialogue, but reiterated that the country would act in defense of its ally Russia if it were attacked. He also said that Russia and Belarus would be holding joint military activities, which he said “are always purely defensive in nature, and they pose no threat either for our European partners, or our neighboring countries.”