According to White House press secretary Jen Psaki, instead of being scared by Russian President Vladimir Putin, he has united Europe and the rest of the world against him.
Per the United States, as well as other Western nations, the first “chunk” of sanctions against Russia for its involvement in Ukraine has been issued, with more measures expected if the crisis continues to deteriorate.
Following Russia’s invasion of the Baltic States, President Biden has also sent more soldiers to the region.
Biden is a strategic genius. There's no way Putin can know what Biden is up to when Biden doesn't himself. Brilliant.
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) February 23, 2022
Asked whether Putin was frightening to the United States and Eastern Europe by Fox News reporter Peter Doocy, Psaki responded, “I’d hardly describe it that way.”
“I’d look at it through the prism of the United States because President Biden has rallied the globe [and] galvanized Europe to stand up against President Putin’s actions.”
Troops Deployments
An official from the Department of Defense said the troops Biden ordered would report to Gen. Tod Wolters, the commanding officer of the U.S. European Command.
Troops would be “redeployed to guarantee our NATO countries, dissuade any prospective aggression against NATO member countries, and prepare with host-nation forces.”
In addition, the United States is relocating up to eight F-35 stealth fighters from Germany to multiple locations across NATO’s eastern flank.
In contrast, 20 AH-64 helicopters will be relocated from Germany to the Baltic region, and then another 12 AH-64 helicopters will be relocated from Greece to Poland, according to the Pentagon.
Putin has arbitrarily recognized the independence of two occupied territories in Ukraine, the Luhansk People’s Republic, as well as the Donetsk People’s Republic. He authorized troops to enter those regions to enforce the recognition.
An extra 8,500 U.S. troops have been placed on “heightened alert” in preparation for a future deployment if NATO summons them.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference on Tuesday that “the NATO Response Force has been boosted in terms of preparedness. That was something we did a few weeks ago. However, it has not yet been put into action.”
Gas Prices
The president recognized inflated gas prices are anticipated, due to the Russian sanctions. Still, he assured his government will use “every tool” at its disposal to keep gas prices as low as possible at the pump.
In his speech, President Biden stated, “whatever Russia does next will be met with unity, clarity, and conviction. I’m hopeful there’s still time for diplomacy to work.”
Earlier on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz instructed his government to postpone approval of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in the face of growing Russian hostility against the EU.
I’ll never forget that Joe Biden lifted the sanctions on Nord Stream 2 that President Trump put in place.
Biden literally gave Putin a pipeline, while taking away ours (Keystone XL). pic.twitter.com/2z1xRKWpJX
— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) February 22, 2022
Republican lawmakers have criticized President Biden for recent gas price increases.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky claims the Biden administration appears “less involved in attempting to solve this problem than it does in trying to persuade families the pain is all in their heads.”
However, the White House underscored the actions represent a deliberate effort to deter the Kremlin, supported by a united Western front.
“You inquired as to whether or not we were intimidated by President Putin,” Psaki responded. “I don’t believe there is any evidence to support that.”
