The White House sidestepped questions regarding its definition of a Russian deescalation toward Ukraine amid differences between Moscow’s troop movement claims and Washington’s intelligence.
“I’m not going to define that by troop numbers. I think we will know it when we see it,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday.
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Psaki was needled for a definition after President Joe Biden told reporters this week he had not seen any verifiable evidence that Russian military units were returning to their home bases, as Russian President Vladimir Putin alleged. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Biden’s remarks earlier Wednesday.
Psaki also declined to disclose any U.S. assessment on how long Russia can hold its current posture, with up to 150,000 personnel amassed along its border with Ukraine and in Belarus in a “very threatening way.”
“Of course, the door continues to be open to diplomacy,” she said.
Biden is expected to speak with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Wednesday afternoon after Scholz’s trip to Moscow, according to Psaki. And Vice President Kamala Harris will join other administration officials, including Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Europe this week, she added.
Harris will build on her colleagues’ “intensive engagement” with allies during the Munich Security Conference between Friday and Sunday, using her speech and sideline meetings with partners to emphasize “our ironclad commitment” to NATO and “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Psaki said.
Psaki was similarly peppered with requests for updates on Biden’s Supreme Court nomination process before his self-imposed end of February deadline.
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“He is not going to be swayed by public campaigns or public sniping or lobbying efforts,” she said. “He is going to pick an eminently qualified black woman to nominate to the Supreme Court and has a number of potential choices that he’s very excited about.”
