Russian President Vladimir Putin meeting with US President Joe Biden via video link. File photoWASHINGTON, Jan 20 US President Joe Biden suggested that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has not yet made a decision on how to deal with the situation around Ukraine.
"I believe that he calculates immediate, short-term and long-term consequences for Russia. And I don’t think he has already made a decision", Biden said at a press conference.
«I am convinced that this decision is completely, single-handedly, completely Putin's decision. Nobody else will make this decision. Nobody else can influence this decision. He makes this decision,» he added. Russia denies the aggressive plans attributed to it by the West in about Ukraine. When asked by journalists to predict further events, he replied: «My assumption is that he will enter. He needs to do something.»Biden threatened Russia with consequences in the event of an escalation around Ukraine «I think he will test the West, test the US, test NATO as much as he can … I think he will pay a serious and expensive price for this,» he added.Russia has repeatedly rejected the accusations of the West and Ukraine of «aggressive actions», stating that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about the «aggression of the Russian Federation» are used as an excuse to place more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. The Russian Foreign Ministry previously noted that Western statements about «Russian aggression» and the possibility of helping Kiev defend itself against it are both ridiculous and dangerous. At the same time, Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged increase in «aggressive actions» sides of Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia is moving troops within its territory and at its own discretion. According to him, this does not threaten anyone and should not bother anyone.