Biden Administration: 'Putin Has Made His Choice'

“Putin has made his choice. He rejected diplomacy and chose war,” U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Daleep Singh said while discussing financial sanctions imposed on Russia.

President Joe Biden imposed stiff sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine as Western nations warned that Kyiv could fall.

As Russian tanks, troops and aircraft pushed closer to Ukraine’s capital city, Biden, speaking to the nation from the White House, promised to inflict a “severe cost on the Russian economy” that will hamper its ability to do business in foreign currencies.

“This is a dangerous moment for all of Europe,” Biden said, adding that the “next few weeks and months will be hard on the people of Ukraine.”

The Russian military effectively eliminated Ukraine’s air defenses and rapidly advanced across the neighboring country, meaning Kyiv could quickly be overrun as well, a senior Western intelligence official said.