United States President Joe Biden said he would consider imposing personal sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin if Kremlin moves to invade Ukraine.
Biden issued the threat on Tuesday as NATO started setting-up forces on standby and sending out ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe in preparation for the possible incursion of Russian forces on Ukraine.
Russia, with more than 100,000 troops placed on borders surrounding Ukraine, denies the allegations of the US and its European allies. Moscow also demands security guarantees, including the rejection of Ukraine's motive to join NATO, per CNBC report.
On Tuesday, Biden said all the NATO members in the region, including Poland, Hungary, and Romania, are expected to join the alliance to defend Ukraine.
"There's no reason for anyone, any member of NATO to worry whether or not we, NATO, would come to their defense," Biden said.
After the multiple rounds of fruitless U.S.-Russia talks over Ukraine, Biden, who has long warned Moscow of serious economic repercussions, warned Putin may face sanctions personally.
Biden warned if Russian military advances into Ukraine, it would be the "largest invasion since World War II" that would "change the world."
He also told the media that he would see himself imposing sanctions directly on Putin if the invasion happens.
Historically, the United States has personally sanctioned some nation leaders such as Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and Muammar Gaddafi of Libya.
Russia Is Not Threatened
However, Russia shrugged off Biden's threat on Wednesday, saying that personal sanctions on Putin would not hurt him, but it would be "politically destructive."
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Russian government, said that US senators were ignorant that they were constitutionally prohibited from owning residences, assets, or bank accounts in other countries, per Reuters.
According to reports, Russia is set to conduct military drills with Belarus next month. It had already started sending troops and military assets to the country north of Ukraine.
Diplomatic Talks Still Continue
Despite the heightened tension in Eastern Europe with the military preparations on concerned parties, efforts to resolve the crisis diplomatically continue.
Top officials of Russia and European countries are set to meet in Paris this week to resume talks on reviving a ceasefire agreement in Eastern Ukraine. While the Biden administration prepared written responses to the demands of Moscow, per CNN.
Ukraine has been seeking membership in NATO since 2002. The coalition's Article 5 clause states that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all members.
Ultimately, Biden stated that Putin's actions would determine the next steps of the US and NATO forces.
According to reports in the media, the Biden administration is nearing the completion of the process of determining which military units it would send to Eastern Europe.
The US State Department has already advised all family members of diplomatic officials and US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country as soon as possible, citing the risk of a Russian invasion.
Amid the tensions, the Biden administration has promised to provide Kyiv with an additional $200 million in military aid to help enhance its defensive capabilities. Some of the support, including military equipment, began arriving in Ukraine over the weekend.
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