U.S. Secretary of State Blinken tries damage control after Biden’s Russia comments
Secretary of State Antony Blinken sternly warned Russia against invading Ukraine on Sunday, just days after President Biden caused an uproar by suggesting “a minor incursion” would be met with a weaker response.
“In the event that there is a renewed Russian incursion, Russian forces going into Ukraine, there is going to be a swift, a severe, and united response,” Blinken told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
He warned against other possible acts of Russian hostility like cyberattacks as well, adding “We’ve also been clear there’ll be a swift response, there’ll be a calibrated response, there’ll be a united response.”
President Biden on Wednesday said Russia would be held accountable if it launched an invasion but quickly added: “It depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having to fight about what to do and not do, et cetera.”
The comments seemed to invite Russia to invade Ukraine, said Republican politicians and Ukrainian officials.
While making an attempt at damage control, Blinken said Moscow might be playing diplomatic games.
“It is certainly possible that the diplomacy the Russians are engaged in is simply going through the motions and it won’t affect their ultimate decision about whether to invade or in some other way intervene — or not — in Ukraine,” he said.
“But, we have a responsibility to see the diplomacy through for as far and as long as we can go, because it’s the more responsible way to bring this to a closure.”
Blinken’s predecessor Mike Pompeo praised his latest remarks as stronger than Biden’s earlier statement.
“If there’s room for doubt, if there is space, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin will drive a truck through that gap,” Pompeo, who was secretary of state under former President Donald Trump, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
With News Wire Services
