White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki vowed that President Joe Biden is “ready” to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s next move regarding Ukraine.
As Russia threatens to invade the Eastern European nation, President Biden has sent thousands of American soldiers into the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has conceded that there is still the possibility that American forces could find themselves face to face with Russian troops — although he stressed that there is still time to work toward a diplomatic solution.
Psaki made similar promises during a press briefing on Monday.
“We’re pursuing a two-track approach, which includes deterrence and diplomacy,” Psaki said when asked about communications from the White House regarding the situation in Europe. “We’re ready either way for whatever decision President Putin might make.”
“Being prepared is exactly what we can do from the U.S. government, in coordination and in partnership with our NATO allies, our partners in Eastern Europe, and of course, the Ukrainians,” she added. “So we don’t actually see it as a conflict.”
Press sec. Psaki to @CeciliaVega about Russia-Ukraine tensions: "We're pursuing a two-track approach, which includes deterrence and diplomacy. We're ready either way for whatever decision President Putin might make." https://t.co/xkcn0qJR0o pic.twitter.com/wbX6vobd4h
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) February 7, 2022
Many lawmakers fear that events in Ukraine could reverberate across the globe. For instance, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) said during an interview with ABC that Chinese President Xi Jinping is “watching.”
“And what do you think the fallout from that is with China’s involvement and standing there next to Putin?” host Martha Raddatz asked McCaul.
“Because Xi is watching what is happening, our adversaries are watching,” he replied. “If Putin can go into Ukraine with no resistance, certainly, Xi will take Taiwan. He’s always wanted this, and the South China Sea, you know, as well. Very tactical, the ayatollah … is looking at this, and Kim Jong Un had two rockets fired off this month that were hypersonics.”
During an appearance on CBS, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) likewise noted that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would both destabilize Europe and carry other implications for American foreign policy across the world.
“But I think this would have a global impact, because we’re now all of a sudden once again living in a world in which countries and leaders can decide that something belongs to them, and they go in and take it by force,” Rubio said before noting that not only do European nations have “complaints about treaties,” but that China has its eyes on Taiwan and border disagreements with India.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-FL) pointed to Biden’s weakness as a factor that has emboldened America’s enemies around the world.
“As a result of President Biden’s weakness and appeasement, this administration gave Afghanistan to the Taliban, and 13 American service members were tragically murdered,” Cruz said on the Senate floor. “As a result of President Biden’s weakness and appeasement, this administration is ramping up to give a nuclear arsenal to the Ayatollah in Iran. The very same Ayatollah who chants ‘Death to Israel’ and ‘Death to America,’ the Biden administration is preparing to facilitate that Ayatollah having the weapons of mass murder to carry out those pledges.”
“As a result of President Biden’s weakness and appeasement, the Biden administration is in the process of ceding Taiwan to Xi. President Biden has even banned any Taiwanese official from displaying a Taiwanese military uniform or displaying a Taiwanese flag on U.S. government property. Why? Because it offends the communist government in China,” Cruz continued. “And again, right now — today — as a result of President Biden’s weakness and appeasement, the Biden administration is in the process of abandoning Ukraine to Vladimir Putin.”
“Putin didn’t just wake up one day and decide to invade Ukraine. He has wanted to invade Ukraine for years. And he did so in 2014. But he stopped short of a full invasion then because he couldn’t endanger Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which Putin needs to get Russian natural gas to Europe,” Cruz explained. “So Russia formed a consortium to build Nord Stream 2, a pipeline stretching directly from Russia to Germany under the sea so that Russian gas could circumvent Ukraine altogether.”