NPR
President Biden, reiterating that the U.S. has no intention of sending U.S. troops to battle in Ukraine should Russia invade, said Tuesday that such an invasion would be world changing. Biden, noting the more than 100,000 Russian troops surrounding Ukraine, said of the Russian leader: “If he were to move in with all those forces, it would be the largest invasion since World War II. It would change the world.” Speaking to reporters after a visit to a Washington, D.C., small business, Biden said it wasn’t clear what Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to do. “It’s a little bit like reading tea leaves,” he said. “I don’t think that even his people know for certain what he’s going to do.” Biden said he would make the decision to deploy U.S. troops as part of beefed-up NATO forces in allied countries on the alliance’s eastern flank depending on “what Putin does or doesn’t do.” But he said some U.S. troops could be moved closer soon. “I may be moving some of those troops in the nearer term just because it takes time,” he said. “It’s not provocative.” The Pentagon announced Monday that it has placed some 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert. Biden reiterated that “we have no intention of putting American forces, or NATO forces, in Ukraine.” He also said that the U.S. government could sanction Putin personally if there were an invasion.
The U.S. is planning a ban on tech exports if Russia invades Ukraine
The United States is working with allies and partners to potentially ban exports to Russia of technology and products used in strategic sectors like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, defense and aerospace if Russia invades Ukraine, a senior administration official told reporters. These “novel export controls” are part of a strategy to impose what a senior administration official called “massive consequences” on Russia if it invades Ukraine. The White House says it wants to take a tougher approach than it did in 2014 when Russia seized Crimea and invaded other parts of eastern Ukraine.
