Biden: 'There's not gonna be any American forces moving into Ukraine'

While he continues to weigh deploying U.S. troops to Europe, President Biden said flatly on Tuesday that he has “no intention” of sending any into Ukraine if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to invade the country.

“We have no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine,” Biden told reporters after visiting a craft store on Capitol Hill, adding that Putin faced “serious economic consequences if he moves.”

“There would be enormous consequences if he were to go in and invade, as he could, the entire country,” Biden continued. “There’s not gonna be any American forces moving into Ukraine.”

At his press conference last week, Biden said he thinks Putin will ultimately invade Ukraine but also predicted that the Russian president will “regret having done it.”

“I made it clear to President Putin early on that if he were to move into Ukraine that there would be severe consequences,” Biden said Tuesday.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put 8,500 American troops on “high alert” for possible deployment to Eastern Europe.

Most of the troops would assist NATO in its response to Russia’s military buildup, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

“It’s very clear the Russians have no intention right now of deescalating,” Kirby said. “What this is about, though, is reassurance to our NATO allies.”

On Tuesday, Biden said the U.S. has a “sacred obligation” to assist those allies should Putin continue Russia’s buildup.

The president said he may be “moving some of those troops in the near term.”

“It’s not provocative,” Biden added. “It’s just exactly what I said.”