The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would respond “in kind” if Russia uses chemical weapons in its ongoing attack in Ukraine, President Joe Biden said on Thursday at an emergency summit meeting of the allies in Brussels.
“We’d make that decision at the time,” Biden said, responding to a reporter’s question. “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.”
Biden also said he supports removing Russia from the G-20, a group of leading countries that work together on economic and other issues. While some countries may not support that, Biden said he also would want to see Ukraine invited to sit in on G-20 meetings. The next one is scheduled for October.
Yesterday’s NATO summit falls on the one month anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden announced fresh sanctions on more than 400 individuals and entities, including members of Russia’s Duma, its lower house of parliament. “Sanctions never deter,” Biden told reporters. “It’s the maintenance of sanctions, increasing the pain” on Russia’s economy, and making sure that Western allies are maintaining the pressure – “that’s what will stop him.”
“The most important thing is for us to stay unified. … to stay fully, totally, thoroughly united,” Biden said of NATO allies. In addition to 100,000 U.S. forces in Europe, he said four new NATO battle groups have been deployed in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia.
Biden also announced more than $1 billion in humanitarian relief to assist Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s attack. The U.S. will take in100,000 displaced Ukrainians.
Biden plans to travel to Poland on Friday, where he hopes to meet with Ukrainian refugees who have crossed the border since the outbreak of the violence. He is also scheduled to meet with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and American troops defending NATO and helping with humanitarian efforts. More than 2.1 million Ukrainian refugees are in Poland.
The U.S. and other allies are working to ensure China doesn’t assist Russia, economically or otherwise. The European Union is having a meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping on April 1. Biden, answering a reporter’s question about China on Thursday, said he has made it clear to Xi the “consequences of helping Russia,” and “that he’d be putting himself in significant jeopardy.”
Biden said China understands that “its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than Russia.”
Biden also announced the U.S. is working on a system to monitor which countries are violating the sanctions imposed against Russia.
Russia’s war on Ukraine threatens to make food scarce, amid soaring grain and commodity prices. The U.S., as the world’s third largest producer of wheat, and Canada, another major producer, have discussed ways to increase and more rapidly distribute their wheat, Biden said. He also urged European countries to end their trade restrictions on sending food abroad.
Biden is in Europe to strengthen ties with allies at the same time he faces political pressure at home, where inflation is running hot but jobless claims for last week hit their lowest point since 1969. Trying to balance the good and bad headlines is a challenge heading into this year’s midterm elections. – Agency report.
