White House Rips 'Crazy Russian Claims' of U.S. Involvement in Kazakhstan

In a display of unity, the Biden administration and its European allies are beginning a series of meetings aimed at showing Russia that an invasion of Ukraine would be met with a forceful response.

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken twice over the past month, before two days of talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials starting Sunday in Geneva. Those talks will be followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on Jan. 12 and negotiations at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Vienna on Jan. 13.

The United States has made little progress in efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions, despite warnings that his country will face "massive consequences” and “severe costs” if he goes ahead with further military intervention in Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House briefing Wednesday, press secretary Jen Psaki said, "Let's be clear, over the past two decades, it is Russia that has invaded two neighboring countries, interfered in many other elections, used chemical weapons to attempt assassinations on foreign soil and violated international arms control agreements."

"We and our allies will be raising those issues and other issues with Russia in the days and weeks ahead and certainly as a part of these talks," she added.

U.S. intelligence findings indicate Russia has made preparations for a potential invasion in early 2022. But White House officials say it remains unclear whether Putin has already made a decision to move forward with military action.

Psaki said it remains unclear "what next week's conversations will bring." But she said the adminsitration's approach to the discussions "will be pragmatic, results oriented, and we believe there are areas we can make progress on with Moscow...if they come to the table ready to do that."

The White House also commented on the escalating protests in Kazakhstan, sparked by a rise in fuel prices in the Central Asian nation.

Psaki said the administration is monitoring reports and supports "calls for calm for protesters to express themselves peacefully and for authorities to exercise restraint."

Psaki also flatly dismissed what she called "crazy Russian claims about the US being behind" the demonstrations.

"Let me just use this opportunity to convey that is absolutely false and clearly a part of the standard Russian disinformation playbook we've seen a lot of in past years," she said.

News rerports Wednesday say protesters in Kazakhstan's largest city have stormed the presidential residence and the mayor’s office and set both buildings on fire.

The government resigned in response to the unrest and the president vowed to take harsh measures to quell it. Although the protests began over a near-doubling of prices for a type of liquefied gas that is widely used as vehicle fuel, the size and rapid spread of the unrest suggest they reflect wider discontent in the country that has been under the rule of the same party since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

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