Live Updates: Biden Predicts Putin Will Invade Ukraine

[Celerity]

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/01/19/us/biden-voting-rights-filibuster

President Biden on Wednesday said he expected President Vladimir Putin of Russia would invade Ukraine, delivering a grim assessment of the ability of the United States and its European allies to persuade the Russian leader not to send troops across the border.

“Do I think he’ll test the West, test the United States and NATO, as significantly as he can? Yes, I think he will,” Mr. Biden told reporters during a news conference in the East Room of the White House, adding: “But I think he will pay a serious, a dear price for it. And I think he will regret having done it.”

Asked to clarify whether he was accepting that an invasion is coming, Mr. Biden said: “My guess is he will move in. He has to do something.”

The president’s comments came as Russia has marshaled more than 100,000 troops to the border with Ukraine over the past several months. Mr. Biden has vowed extensive sanctions if an invasion happens, but he suggested that they would not be enough to keep Mr. Putin from moving forward with military action. “I probably shouldn’t go any further. But I think it will hurt him bad,” he said.

snip