With diplomatic talks seemingly stalled and the war of words between Washington and Moscow intensifying, President Biden says the United States would be willing to impose personal sanctions against President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia if he directed Russian forces to invade Ukraine.
The threat to target the leader of a world power directly reflected both the Biden administration’s intent to deter Russian aggression by conveying the high costs it would incur, as well as a recognition that Mr. Putin would most likely be the one who decides whether to invade.
Russia has said it has no intention of invading Ukraine, despite amassing forces along the country’s borders to the north, east and south. Mr. Putin has not commented publicly on the crisis since Dec. 23, a silence that has kept Western leaders unsure about his next move. » | Marc Santora and Ivan Nechepurenko | Wednesday, January 26, 2022
