Biden lashed out at Republicans on Monday for failing to pass a Ukraine aid package. (document)
Washington:
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Monday he was “considering additional sanctions” against Moscow following the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison.
“We have already imposed sanctions, but we are considering additional sanctions, yes,” Biden told reporters in Washington. Biden last week had directly blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for Navalny’s death. and its “thugs.”
Biden and other Western allies have used unprecedented sanctions to limit Moscow’s support for the war in Ukraine while providing arms and aid to Kiev.
But Russia withstood the initial shock and put its economy on a war footing, ramping up production and recruitment and jailing critics of the invasion.
At the same time, doubts are growing about Washington’s future commitment to Ukraine. Former President Donald Trump’s allies in the House have been stalling on $60 billion in new military aid as existing U.S. funding has dried up.
Trump, the likely Republican nominee in November’s presidential election, has opposed helping Kyiv and recently used his influence to veto a U.S. border reform bill that would also have authorized additional aid to Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military is outnumbered and exhausted, and Europe cannot increase weapons supplies fast enough without the United States, underscoring the urgency of getting more money to Kiev.
Biden on Monday again blasted Republicans for failing to pass an aid package.
“The way they’re getting away from the Russian threat, the way they’re getting away from NATO, the way they’re getting away from meeting our obligations, it’s just astounding,” he said.
But he said he was happy to meet with Republican-led House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told reporters he did not even plan to allow a vote on the package.
“Of course, if he has something to say, I would be happy to meet with him,” Biden said.
He added that he hoped Navalny’s death would have an impact on the delivery of aid, but “I’m not sure”.
Analysts warn that Putin may be biding his time, waiting and hoping for Trump’s re-election, which could reduce support for Kiev.
Trump has remained silent for days on Navalny’s death in the face of growing criticism.
Then on Monday, he posted on his Truth Society website that the “sudden death” of the opposition leader had made him “increasingly aware of what is happening in the United States.”
“This is a slow and steady process in which evil, radical left-wing politicians, prosecutors and judges are leading us down a path of destruction,” he wrote.
The post made no mention of the Russian government or Putin.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
