Speaking to reporters at the White House before departing for Kansas City to tout his recently passed infrastructure bill, President Joe Biden said that sending U.S. troops to defend Ukraine against a possible Russian invasion is "not on the table."

What You Need To Know

  • Following his high-stakes call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, President Joe Biden said Wednesday that sending U.S. troops to defend Ukraine against a possible Russian invasion is "not on the table"

  • During Tuesday's call, Biden warned the Russian leader that the U.S. and its allies "would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation"

  • Biden told reporters Wednesday that Tuesday's call was "polite" but "straightforward," and he "made it very clear" that if Russia" invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences," including severe economic sanctions

  • In positive news, President Biden shared that U.S. and Russian teams have been in "constant contact" and that they hope to announce by Friday a meeting between the two countries and "at least four of our major NATO allies" to cool tensions

"The idea the United States is going to unilaterally use force to confront Russia invading Ukraine is not in the cards right now," Biden said. "What will happen is there will be severe consequences."

The news comes one day after Biden's high-stakes video conference with Vladimir Putin, in which the commander in chief warned the Russian leader that the U.S. and its allies "would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation."

"I was very straightforward," Biden said of the call with Putin. "There were no minced words. It was polite, but I made it very clear: If in fact, he invades Ukraine, there will be severe consequences, severe consequences. Economic consequences like none he's ever seen or ever have been seen in terms of being imposed."

Biden said that Putin's "immediate response was he understood that," and the president also communicated to the Russian leader that the U.S. "would provide defensive capability to the Ukrainians as well."

Biden reiterated he was "absolutely confident" that Putin "got the message."

At the Pentagon on Wednesday, the spokesman for the Department of Defense confirmed that the U.S. had not begun any discussions about reinforcing troops near Ukraine and along NATO's eastern flank, which already includes American troops in Poland.

"There have been no additional consultations about that specific potential outcome," Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said.

Kirby noted that President Biden approved an additional $60 million in security assistance to Ukraine late this summer, the last shipments of which were expected to arrive overseas this week.

The latest shipments to the country include small arms and ammunition, which the United States expects the Ukrainian military to use "responsibly" and for "their own self-defense."

Kirby stressed that additional U.S. troops had not been requested and any extra assistance would have to be reviewed and would only be considered if Russia moves further into Ukraine and if "NATO allies request additional capabilities to assist them with their own defensive needs."

"We're just not there yet," Kirby said.

"That is not on the table," Biden told reporters earlier Wednesday when asked about American troops being sent to Ukraine. "We have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to our NATO allies if they were to attack under article 5, it’s a sacred obligation."

Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, also known as the "collective defence" clause, states that "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all." It was invoked for the first time in its history after the September 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

"That obligation does not extend to Ukraine," Biden added, referring to the fact that the country is not a member of NATO. Biden did, however, say that the U.S. "would probably also be required to reinforce our presence in NATO countries."

"The positive news is thus far our teams have been in constant contact," he added. "We hope by Friday we hope we're going to be able to announce that we're going to be having meetings at a higher level."

Biden said that the goal is to announce a meeting with the United States, Russia and "at least four of our major NATO allies ... to discuss the future of Russia's concerns relative to NATO writ large and whether or not we could work out any accommodations as it relates to bringing down temperature along the eastern front."