The secretary of state, Antony Blinken, warned on Sunday, that the US and its allies will deliver a swift, severe and united response if Russia invades Ukraine.
The top US diplomat said Russia continued its military build-up on the Ukraine border and Britain said it had exposed evidence of a plot by Vladimir Putin to install a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv.
The Russian president, Blinken said, must choose between the preferred path of diplomacy and dialogue or Russian aggression and massive consequences. The US, Nato, and Europe are ready to deal with any eventuality, he said.
If there is any Russian aggression in the Ukraine, there will be a swift, severe and united response from the United States and Europe, Blinken told CBS's Face the Nation, a message he said he gave to Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in frank and substantive talks in Geneva last week.
We have been clear that Russia engages in other tactics, other than sending troops into Ukraine, or other countries, hybrid actions, cyber attacks, and attempts to bring the government down. I am confident that there will be a swift, calibrated and united response based on the many consultations I have had with European allies and partners. Blinken wouldn't say if that response included committing US forces, but told CNN s State of the Union that the alliance was looking at practical and important measures including military options.
Besides the massive economic, financial consequences that Russia would face if it makes more aggression against Ukraine, there is the ongoing build-up of defense capacity in Ukraine, and the continued construction of Nato's defensive capabilities, including on the so-called eastern flank, the countries near Russia.
A single additional Russian force entering Ukraine would trigger a response, Blinken said. We are looking at every single scenario, preparing for every single scenario. With an estimated 125,000 Russian troops at or close to the Ukraine border, western allies have tried to bolster military assets in the region. More than 90 tons of US equipment arrived in Ukraine this weekend, part of a $200 million package of lethal aid approved by Joe Biden last month. The UK sent anti-tank weaponry and personnel to train Ukrainian forces.
The Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are among the nations sending or promising aid, but questions remain as to the strength of the alliance and last week s insistence of White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, that Nato s 30 member states were speaking with one voice Germany has refused to send weapons, saying it would be unhelpful and that Berlin would instead contribute medical resources. Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine Minister of Foreign Affairs, responded in a tweet that Germany's position was to undermine unity and encourage Vladimir Putin to a new attack on Ukraine. On NBC's Meet the Press, Blinken was dismissive.
I sat with Chancellor Olaf Scholz for an hour last week and listened very carefully to him. I went on the phone and saw my German counterpart, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, and I can tell you that the Germans very much share our concerns and are determined to respond swiftly, effectively and in a united way. Blinken rebuffed calls from critics, voiced by the Iowa Republican Joni Ernst, that the US should impose sanctions on Russia before any invasion took place.
President Biden's administration has worked with Ernst, a member of the Senate committee on armed services, and it needs to show strength, not be in a position of appeasement, according to Ernst, a member of the Senate committee on armed services.
We need to go ahead and impose sanctions on Russia now. We need to show them that we mean business and we will be there for Ukraine if they invade. Blinken said that preemptive sanctions would weaken the allies position.
The purpose of the sanctions is to deter Russian aggression. He said that if they are triggered now you lose the deterrent effect.
All the things we are doing, including building up in a united way with Europe massive consequences for Russia, is designed to factor into President Putin's calculus and to deter and dissuade him from taking aggressive action even as we pursue diplomacy at the same time. Support for Blinken came from an unexpected quarter, his immediate predecessor as secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, praised a stronger statement than that from Biden this week.
Trump loyalist told Fox News he hopes they are serious about this. I hope they are prepared to speak about this, and that they have a plan, but they also have an execution matrix that sits underneath that, so that they are prepared to actually do this in real time.
It doesn't take days of meetings with allies and friends to plan to execute a response that matches with the activity the Russians take. Pompeo also criticised Biden's efforts to clarify comments made on Wednesday that a minor incursion by Russia would cause a less resurgence. The president said any Russian units moving across the border would be viewed as an invasion.
Pompeo said we need to be unequivocal in diplomacy. If there is room for doubt, if there is space, Vladimir Putin will drive a truck through that gap, he will perceive any weakness, or gap, and say, Well, we didn't send an assembled unit, it was disorganized Striking a note familiar in rightwing US circles, Pompeo also had praise for Putin.
Under Trump, he said, we had respect for him and his power. He is a very talented statesman. He has lots of gifts. For goodness sakes, he was a KGB agent. He knows how to use power.