WASHINGTON: U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed that Russia’s Vladimir Putin will pay dearly over the long run even for his invasion of Ukraine, even if his military campaign succeeds in the short term.
“While he may make gains on the battlefield – he will pay a continuing high price over the long run,” Biden said in his State of the Union address. Straying from the prepared text, Biden added “He has no idea what’s coming.”
Biden spoke to Congress on the sixth day of Russia’s invasion of its European neighbor and as Kyiv stared down a miles-long armored Russian column potentially preparing to take over the Ukrainian capital, and the U.S. and a growing group of allies tighten sanctions.
In the prime time speech, Biden announced a new step banning Russian flights from using American airspace and a Justice Department effort to seize the yachts, luxury apartments and private jets of wealthy Russians with ties to Putin.
He also signalled steps to hobble Russia’s military in the future, even as he acknowledged it could improve its position in Ukraine.
“We are choking off Russia‘s access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come,” he said.
“When the history of this era is written Putin’s war on Ukraine will have left Russia weaker and the rest of the world stronger,” he said.
Biden called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a “dictator” facing withering economic and diplomatic isolation for invading neighbouring Ukraine, and warned the world is in a “battle” between democracy and autocracy.
As he delivered his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress and the American people, praising the Ukrainian “wall of strength” that has stood tall against Russian invaders, Biden made clear there would be no US boots on the ground in the week-old war on Europe’s doorstep.
“Let me be clear: our forces are not engaged, and will not engage, in the conflict with Russian forces in Ukraine,” the Democratic leader said.
Biden nevertheless levelled ferocious criticism at Putin.
“A Russian dictator, invading a foreign country, has costs around the world,” Biden said.
“In the battle between democracy and autocracy, democracies are rising to the moment, and the world is clearly choosing the side of peace and security.”
The West, led by tough new steps from Washington, has launched a fierce economic battle with Russia, unleashing a wave of sanctions that threaten to bring the Russian economy to its knees.
Taking aim at Russian oligarchs and “corrupt leaders” who Biden said have bilked billions of dollars off Putin’s regime, the US president delivered a stern warning that the West will “seize their yachts, their luxury apartments, their private jets.”
“We’re coming for your ill-begotten gains,” Biden said to applause.
Biden, who spoke earlier in the day with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, has rejected direct U.S. military participation on the ground in Ukraine.
But the U.S. government has shared intelligence on Russia‘s operations and led the world in imposing a historic set of economic sanctions on Putin’s government, allies and the country’s largest banks, sending the currency into freefall.
Nearly a week since Russian troops poured over the border, they have not captured any major Ukrainian cities after running into fiercer resistance than they expected.
