White House Spox Rips Putin’s ‘Erratic Brutality’ and ‘Abuse’ of His Own Troops

White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates blasted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “erratic brutality” in Ukraine, while also describing Russian troops as “abused” and “demoralized.”

On Friday, Mr. Bates briefed reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania shortly after President Joe Biden delivered remarks about the situation in Ukraine — and a sobering warning to Putin.

Asked to elaborate on the president’s warning that “Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons,” Mr. Bates told reporters that “his meaning was unmistakable.”

Bates was later asked about “off-ramps” for Russia, and part of his response seemed designed to drive a wedge between Putin and his troops:

Q What is the endgame of the sanctions exactly, knowing that more have been imposed today? What does the U.S. believe needs to be done in order to resolve this war in Ukraine?

MR. BATES: Well, we have provided Putin with possible off-ramps from the beginning, and we will continue to do so. But he is the only one who can decide whether to take them.

So far, every time he has had an opportunity to take an off-ramp, he’s instead gone full speed ahead. And the longer he forces his abused troops to attack Ukraine, the more he broadcasts his own profound weakness as a leader.

Putin’s only strategy has been escalation at every turn, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s escalation without an endgame. And his erratic brutality, which comes at the expense of the Russian people and, again, his own demoralized troops, is proving to be a disaster for his country.

He has a clear plan to be savage toward Ukraine, but to what end? His initial military plan to quickly capture Ukraine and force a capitulation has failed. Now he’s turning to a strategy of laying waste to population centers to try and break the will of the Ukrainian people. But that strategy will make effective long-term Russian control of Ukraine impossible.

Meanwhile, the world is rallying around the Ukrainians. And we are exacting an enormous and historic toll on Russians’ — Russia’s economy because of his war of choice.

Q What future off-ramps do you have in mind?

MR. BATES: I don’t have anything more to preview. But as today’s actions make clear, the more that this continues, not only is he losing people on the ground to whom he has lied about the cause for going into Ukraine unprovoked, but the Russian economy is in tatters.

Watch above via The White House.