White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated Monday that Russia would face severe “consequences” if the country carries out a chemical attack in Ukraine but stopped short of drawing any red lines for intervention from the United States.
“I think that you heard the president say on Friday that there would be severe consequences, and the world would respond if they were to use chemical weapons,” she stated during one such exchange. “And what we have been doing over the course of the last several weeks, if not months, is providing as much information to the global community, to the media, and to others about what to expect.”
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Psaki added that Russian officials “suggesting that the United States and Ukrainians are the ones who are working on a chemical weapons program” fits with “a pattern that we have seen in the past of them trying to set up a predicate for their own actions.”
Throughout the briefing, and in days past, the White House has ruled out some retaliatory actions the U.S. could take against Russia, including sending troops to Ukraine or installing a “no-fly” zone over the country.
Pressed by a reporter, Psaki claimed that it’s “inaccurate” to say the U.S. doesn’t have “any more severe consequences” to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I understand your question. I’m just not going to outline that from here,” she continued. “Those are conversations that will happen, continue to happen with our national security team and with our partners and allies around the world.”
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You can watch Monday’s briefing in full below.
