NATO will ‘respond’ if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine: Biden

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the framework of a NATO summit amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Brussels, Belgium on 24 March 2022Reuters

US President Joe Biden said Thursday that NATO would “respond” if Russian President Vladimir Putin used a chemical weapon in his war on Ukraine, reports news agencies AFP and ANI.

“We will respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use,” Biden said after a NATO summit in Brussels.

Biden backs kicking Russia out of G20 over Ukraine war

Joe Biden has backed excluding Russia from the G20 grouping of major economies over its invasion of Ukraine.

“I raised the possibility if that can’t be done, if Indonesia and others do not agree, then we should in my view ask to have... Ukraine... attend the meetings as well,” Biden said after a NATO summit in Brussels.

‘NATO summit called to prolong Russia sanctions’

Biden further said Thursday he had called an emergency NATO summit to ensure international sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are kept in place over the long term.

“The maintenance of sanctions... (is) increasing the pain.... Why I asked for this NATO meeting today, is to be sure that after a month we will sustain what we’re doing -- not just next month, the following month -- but for the remainder of this entire year,” he told a news conference at NATO headquarters.

The maintenance of sanctions... (is) increasing the pain.... Why I asked for this NATO meeting today, is to be sure that after a month we will sustain what we’re doing -- not just next month, the following month -- but for the remainder of this entire year
Joe Biden told a news conference at NATO headquarters

“That’s what will stop him,” he said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Biden insisted that he had never wielded the threat of sanctions as a form of deterrence, to head off Putin’s ordered invasion of Ukraine.

“Let’s get something straight. You remember, if you covered me from the very beginning, I did not say that, in fact, the sanctions would deter him. Sanctions never deter. You keep talking about that! Sanctions never deter,” he told journalists.

The United States, the European Union and their allies have unleashed several coordinated waves of sanctions on Russia since its February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

The punishment has severely hit Russia’s finances and economy, and also target Russian defence companies and oligarchs, as well as Putin and his closest ministers and aides.

Washington and Brussels have warned of further sanctions on Moscow, to increase the cost to it of keeping up its war.

‘China to face dire economic consequences if it aids Russia’

Joe Biden said that he has amply made it clear to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of the potentially dire economic consequences if China provides assistance to Russia.

On the possibility of China providing assistance to Russia, Biden said he had a “very straightforward conversation” with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week on the topic.

He made these remarks on the Russian invasion of Ukraine during a news conference after a NATO summit and Group of Seven meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

He said he “made no threats,” but did make clear that Xi “understood the consequences of him helping Russia.”

He said he pointed out the consequences of Russia’s behavior, and pointed out that China had sought to develop stronger economic ties with the West.

He said he told Xi “he’d be putting himself at significant jeopardy in those aims, if, in fact, he were to move forward.”

“I think that China understands that its economic future is much more closely tied to the West than it is to Russia. And so I am hopeful that he does not get engaged,” Biden said.

Moreover, Biden while speaking of the conversation that he held with the Chinese President last Friday said that China had sought to develop stronger economic ties with the West.

Calling Russia and Ukraine the “breadbasket” of Europe, Biden said that food shortages will be “real”. Biden in remarks after an emergency NATO meeting said, “The price of the sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia. It’s imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well.”

“We had a long discussion in the G7 with ... both the United States, which has a significant -- the third-largest producer of wheat in the world -- as well as Canada, which is also a major, major producer. And we both talked about how we could increase and disseminate more rapidly food ... In addition to that, we talked about urging all the European countries and everyone else to end trade restrictions on sending, limitations on sending food abroad. So we are in the process of working out with our European friends what it would be, what it would take to help alleviate the concerns relative to food shortages,” he said.

Biden also said that he hopes to visit the Ukrainian refugee when he visits Poland on Friday. “I plan on attempting to see those folks, as well as I, hope I’m going to be able to see -- guess I’m not supposed to say where I’m going, am I. I hope I get to see a lot of people,” Biden said at a news conference in Brussels.

Replying to a question where the reporter said “deterrence did not work” Biden said, “The maintenance of sanctions -- the maintenance of sanctions, the increasing the pain and the demonstration of why I asked for this NATO meeting today is to be sure that after a month, we will sustain what we’re doing, not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year. That’s what will stop him.”

Furthermore, Biden said that he believes Russia should be removed from the Group of 20. “My answer is yes,” Biden said during a news conference when asked about whether Russia should be removed. “It depends on the G20. That was raised today, and I raised the possibility that, if that can’t be done - if Indonesia and others do not agree - then we should, in my view, ask to have both Ukraine be able to attend the meetings as well as ... basically (having) Ukraine being able to attend the G20 meeting and observe,” he said.