This post was originally published on this site
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s foreign minister, reacting to President Biden’s comments Wednesday playing down a potential “minor incursion” by Russia, said any attack on his country should be treated equally.
Context: Biden: ‘It is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine’
Don’t miss: Top U.S., European diplomats hold talks on Ukraine crisis
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dmytro Kuleba on Thursday responded to Biden’s comment on Wednesday in which he suggested that Western nations weren’t in tandem on how to respond to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the event of a “minor incursion” on Ukraine. His statement was later clarified by the White House.
“Speaking of minor and full incursions or full invasion, you cannot be half-aggressive. You’re either aggressive or you’re not aggressive,” Kuleba said. “We should not give Putin the slightest chance to play with quasi-aggression or small incursion operations. This aggression was there since 2014. This is the fact.”
Kuleba added that he believes Biden is sincere in his interest to help and work with Ukraine.
“We in Ukraine have no doubt that President Biden is committed to Ukraine … and he wants to prevent the conflict and deter Russia,” Kuleba said.
An expanded version of this report appears at WSJ.com.
Trending at WSJ.com: Biden signals expectation that Build Back Better will be broken into pieces
Read on: Russia moves more troops westward as U.S. fears a Ukraine invasion could be launched at any time
