NATO has “never been more united” and will respond if Russian President Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has promised in Brussels.
Vladimir Putin “bet on a division of NATO”. He “didn’t think we might maintain that cohesion. NATO has never, ever been more united than it is today,” Biden said following a summit. NATO and a G7 in Brussels.
“Putin gets exactly the opposite of what he wanted by invading Ukraine,” continued the American president during a press conference before participating in the EU summit.
He promised a reaction from NATO in the event of the use of chemical weapons by the Russian leader in Ukraine. “We will respond if there is recourse,” he said, adding that “the nature of the response will depend on the nature of this use”.
Washington announced Thursday new sanctions once morest Russia, targeting the political world, oligarchs and the defense industry.
It is “the maintenance” of long-term sanctions that “hurts”, underlined the American president, who also expressed “the hope” that China does not help Moscow to cushion the impact of Western punitive measures once morest Russia.
‘I think China understands that its economic future will depend much more on its relationship with the West than with Russia. imposed following the invasion of Ukraine, Biden said.
He said he was in favor of excluding Russia from the G20, while recognizing that this decision depended on the members of this international body.
“If Indonesia (G20 chair) and other countries don’t agree, then we should ask for Ukraine to attend G20 meetings,” he added.
