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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday that the U.S. and allied nations are continuing to prepare to counter Russia if it continues its aggressive actions toward Ukraine.
Blinken said resolving the situation diplomatically “is clearly the preferable path,” but officials are readying an array of options commensurate to various possible moves by Moscow.
“We’re prepared either way,” Blinken said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Basically at this point, the choice is Vladimir Putin’s,” Blinken said of the Russian president.
There has been a flurry of activity in recent weeks as the Biden administration and European counterparts try to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine, where Russia has built up a massive troop presence along the two countries’ shared border. The disputes extend well beyond simple questions of territory and local issues; Russia is very eager to keep NATO from snuggling close to its own borders, and Putin seems intent on bringing back some of the power and prestige that were lost when Mikhail Gorbachev dissolved the Soviet Union in December 1991.
“We’ll see if we can advance the diplomacy,” Blinken said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “But even as we’re that doing that, we’re preparing — building up defenses, building up deterrence — if Russia chooses the other path.”
Blinken said there are several areas where a compromise could be reached, if Moscow wants to pursue that pathway, while emphasizing that several items Russia has brought up in discussions are nonstarters — such as barring Ukraine from joining the NATO alliance.
“I was very clear with Foreign Minister [Sergey] Lavrov, as we’ve been, that there’s certain basic principles that we’re not by one iota going to compromise on,” he said on CNN. “Including, for example NATO’s open door, the right of countries to choose with whom they’ll associate, which alliances they’ll join.”
Blinken also offered assurances that the United States and others will forcefully meet any Russian military maneuver into Ukraine — a point that the administration has stressed repeatedly in the days after President Joe Biden rankled Ukrainian leaders by discussing the possibility of stomaching a “minor incursion.”
“If a single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive way, as I said, that would trigger a swift, severe and united response from us and from Europe,” Blinken said.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Blinken made a “much stronger statement” Sunday than Biden did earlier in the week but added that the current administration needs to go further to ward off Russia.
“If there’s room for doubt, if there is space, Vladimir Putin will drive a truck through that gap,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Blinken also argued on “State of the Union” that imposing sanctions on Russia now would take away a deterrent effect, contending: “All of the things that we’re doing, including building up in a united way with Europe massive consequences for Russia, is designed to factor into President Putin’s calculus and to deter and dissuade him from taking aggressive action, even as we pursue diplomacy at the same time.”
These comments come as tensions remain high between European countries and Russia, and as intelligence shows that the threat of a Kremlin invasion into Ukraine may be becoming more dire. In a recent statement, the U.K. Foreign Office claimed it has evidence that Putin’s government wants to install a Russia-friendly government in Ukraine while it considers invading.
On “State of the Union,” Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa rejected Blinken’s comments on sanctions — though she said “all options should be on the table” for a response if Russia does invade Ukraine. Discussing the situation from a Cold War perspective, she argued that the U.S. needs to act now in opposition to Russia, rather than waiting on an invasion.
“When it comes to pushing back against Russia, we need to show strength and not be in a position of doctrine of appeasement, which seems to be how President Biden has worked his administration,” Ernst said. “So, we do need to go ahead and impose sanctions on Russia now.”
In contrast, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) argued on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday morning that the Biden White House is deterring Putin from invading Ukraine by pulling together NATO allies and “invested time and effort in rebuilding our European partnerships,” unlike the previous administration.
Still, Coons added that he thinks Congress should “take up and pass” a bipartisan bill to apply some sanctions now.
“But the very strongest sanctions, the sorts of sanctions that we use to bring Iran to the table, is something that we should hold out as a deterrent to prevent Putin from taking the last step of invading Ukraine,” Coons added.
Joining the flurry of lawmakers responding to Blinken’s comments on Sunday was Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), who claimed on CBS’ “Face the Nation” that “this all started” with the botched military withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, which resulted in a takeover by the Taliban.
“This is not just about Ukraine,” McCaul said, arguing that “this has broader global ramifications.”
“We’re seen as weak right now because of President Biden, his comments about a limited invasion was somehow acceptable, and that NATO was divided,” McCaul said. “I think one thing he said was true is that NATO is divided, and that’s — Putin’s goal is to divide and weaken NATO. He’s accomplished some of that.”