NBC White House correspondent Peter Alexander confronted President Joe Biden on Thursday over why the United States isn’t taking more severe action against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.
“You detailed some severe and swift new sanctions today and said the impact it will have over time. Given the full scale invasion, given that you’re not pursuing disconnecting Russia from what’s called SWIFT, the international banking system, or other sanctions at your disposal. Respectfully, sir, what more are you waiting for?” asked Alexander.
SWIFT, or the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is an international financial transaction mechanism based in Belgium.
“Specifically, with the sanctions we’ve imposed exceed SWIFT. The sanctions we imposed exceed anything that’s ever been done,” replied Biden. “The sanctions we imposed have generated two-thirds of the world joining us. They are profound sanctions. Let’s have a conversation in another month or so to see if they’re working.”
The sanctions Biden announced on Thursday will target four more Russian banks in addition to elites, high-tech commerce, and limit the ability for Russia to do business in “dollars, euro, pounds and yen.”
Biden did not answer repeated questions from reporters about why the United States isn’t sanctioning Russian President Vladimir Putin personally. Biden mentioned, “Our sanctions package is specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue.”
Biden defended his administration’s rationale about sanctions.
No one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening. This could
take time and we have to show resolve so he knows what’s coming and so the people of Russia know what he’s brought on them. That’s what this is all about.This is going to take time. This is not going to occur, he’s going to say, ‘Oh my G-d, these sanctions are coming, I’m going to stand down.’ He’s going to test the resolve of the West to see if we stay together and we will. We will and it will impose significant costs on him.
During his speech, Biden blasted Russia for the further incursion, which started on Wednesday night as bombings have occurred throughout Ukraine including in the capital of Kyiv, cyberattacks have been blamed on Russia and Russia has taken over airfields and other areas such as Chernobyl, the site of the 1986 nuclear plant explosion.
Watch above, via MSNBC.