Ukrainian President pushes back on Biden: ‘There are no minor incursions’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly pushed back on US President Joe Biden's comments that a "minor incursion" by Russia into Ukraine would prompt a lesser response than a full-scale invasion
By Jeremy Herb, CNN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly pushed back Thursday on US President Joe Biden’s comments that a “minor incursion” by Russia into Ukraine would prompt a lesser response than a full-scale invasion, in an implicit rebuke of Biden’s comments.
“We want to remind the great powers that there are no minor incursions and small nations,” Zelensky wrote on Twitter in an apparent response Biden’s remarks on Wednesday. “Just as there are no minor casualties and little grief from the loss of loved ones.”
Biden’s comments at a news conference Wednesday about the prospect of Russian military action alarmed Ukrainian officials as Russia has amassed tens of thousands of troops along the border and US officials have warned an attack could be imminent.
In his comments Wednesday, Biden suggested that a “minor incursion” could prompt a disagreement among NATO countries about how strongly to respond to Moscow.
“It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do, et cetera,” Biden said.
“If there is something that is where there’s Russian forces crossing the border, killing Ukrainian fighters, et cetera, I think that changes everything,” the President later said. “But it depends on what he does, to what extent we’ll get total unity on the NATO front.”
Biden also suggested he believed Putin would launch an attack, though he said he didn’t believe the Russian President had made up his mind.
“I’m not so sure he is certain what he is going to do. My guess is he will move in. He has to do something,” Biden said.
Officials in Kyiv were “stunned” in the immediate aftermath of Biden’s comments, CNN reported Wednesday.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, told the Wall Street Journal that Biden’s comments could serve as an invitation to attack by Moscow.
“Speaking of minor and full incursions or full invasion, you cannot be half-aggressive. You’re either aggressive or you’re not aggressive,” Kuleba said. “We should not give Putin the slightest chance to play with quasi-aggression or small incursion operations. This aggression was there since 2014. This is the fact.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki sought to clean up Biden’s comments after Wednesday’s news conference, saying on Twitter, “President Biden has been clear with the Russian President: If any Russian military forces move across the Ukrainian border, that’s a renewed invasion, and it will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said on ABC’s Good Morning America Thursday, “We will interpret any violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by Russia and Vladimir Putin as an aggressive action and it will be met with costs, severe and certain.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.
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Biden needs to keep dementia mouth shut. What a stupid and dangerous thing to say.
You weren’t worried about all that when Trump said stupid and dangerous things and undermined our national security every time he opened his moronic mouth.
Trump never said anything that undermined our national security. Plus our enemies knew to not dare cross the US or Trump would annihilate them. Now they know that Bidem is weak and will allow them to do whatever they want. Our country is now at risk thanks to Biden as is the world.
He offers no apologies? He is the most dangerous man with the lowest IQ in his administration. He is a disaster, in 1 years time he has set us back decades with world opinion, has opened the door for China and Russia to take whatever actions they want which includes invading their neighbor countries. He and that cackling hen he calls the President (his words) have to go. God help us, at this rate we will be over run by our enemies if this MORON continues to ‘be in charge’. We are so screwed and Pelosi is 3rd in line? Please wake us up from this nightmare that YOU Democrats have created. How can any sensible human agree with anything he says?
Trump colluded with Putin and lost a trade war with China. Biden is starting to stand up to both. Pay your electric bill and turn on your TV and watch the news moron. If you can’t keep up then you need to sit down somewhere.
Trump never colluded with Putin. That has been debunked a dozen times over. Bidenbisbt standing up to anyone. He literally told Russia that a minor incursion would be okay. Ukraine already blasted Biden for that. He co tines to let Chi a do whatever they want. Biden will do nothing to stop them. They both own him.
I have given up of that useless air bag mark/charlie. Just ignore him. And the main reason Biden wants to protect the Ukraine is what Hunter Biden said, “The big guy gets 10%.
The Russian co0llusion thing was a total hoax and debunked nitwit. Stop watching CNN and MSNBC.
What a F. K. UP!!! Just like C.H.ITarlie and CHICO the refried bean .E.R!!
You’re right. It was a dumb slip of the tongue. One dumb statement to Trump’s 3,000 dumb statements. Remember when Rex Tillerson said that Trump had about a 5th grade knowledge of world affairs right before he resigned?
Obama: ‘Don’t Underestimate Joe’s Ability to F— Things Up’
Operative word there….resigned. sour grapes because Trump kicked him to the curb.
He resigned as did many others when they became fully aware of what a moron Trump was.
He resigned because he didn’t like taking orders from the President.
The only reason I can see that the Russian Federation would want with anything in the Ukraine, would be the land bridge into the Crimean Peninsula. They already built a vehicle bridge connecting Taman, Russia and Kerch, Crimea. Other than that, The Ukrainians have little the Russians would want. The Ukrainians are not ethnically Russian like the Crimeans are and the Ukraine government is totally corrupt.
In order to seize the Crimean land bridge with Russia, the Russian Army would have to seize a Major Supply Route (MSR), M14 from Novazovsk, through Mariupol, Manhush, Osypenko, Prymorsk, Inzivka, Pryazovs’ke and Melitpol. That is a lot of cities to seize and keep for ever. I just don’t see the advantage of occupying that territory for ever.
So nitwit Char Lie Dumbo aka Alberto no showed?
Correct. I went there, got my groceries, hung out by the entrance and nothing. Took my groceries home, returned to the store and hung around the entrance for an additional 20-25 minutes, and no show.
I will no longer deal with him directly, he is not worth the aggravation. I am not interested in the keyboard coward any longer. I will talk about him with you guys, but will not enter into conversation with him.