President Joe Biden said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “his back against the wall” because he said Russia fired a “hypersonic missile” at Ukraine in part because of the strength of Ukraine’s defenses.
“They are hurting the Russian military, whether it be their tanks, helicopters or planes,” Biden said.
He spoke after the Kremlin said it had used its state-of-the-art military hardware to destroy a Ukrainian weapons cache. The Pentagon on Monday did not confirm the statement.
“And if you notice, they just launched their hypersonic missile because that’s the only thing they can get past without absolute certainty,” Biden said. “It’s, as you all know, a consistent weapon, but with the same warhead as every other missile launched, it doesn’t really matter, except that it’s nearly impossible to stop. There is a reason why they use it.
“And now Putin has his back to the wall. He did not foresee the extent or strength of our unity. And the more his back is to the wall, the more severity, tactics he can apply, ”Biden said.
President Joe Biden confirmed Russia’s use of a hypersonic missile during its invasion of Ukraine.
Some military experts questioned why the Russians would use these weapons if not to use Ukraine as a test launch and send a political signal.
The missiles are believed to travel at ten times the speed of sound and are capable of evading air defenses.
Biden praised the companies that are pulling out of Russia in response to its invasion. The US has imposed sanctions on Russian energy companies, but not on entities doing business with Russia.
“I am happy to see American companies stepping up and contributing to what you are doing in terms of donations to Ukraine and winding down your operations without anyone asking – I want to make this clear – you are on your own. curtailment of operations in Russia. not at all, but at many, not only at you, but also all over the world.
He spoke about the upcoming emergency NATO meeting, which Biden will host on Thursday in Brussels. “But one thing I’m sure, knowing Putin quite well, as other leaders can know each other, is that he counted on being able to split NATO, he never thought that NATO would remain decisive,” he said.
Biden also heightened concerns about a potential Russian cyber attack on US targets.
“But look, today my administration issued a new warning that, based on evolving intelligence, Russia may be planning a cyberattack against us,” Biden said. “As I said, the scale of Russian cybercapacity is quite significant, and it will grow.”
KYIV, UKRAINE – MARCH 21: Firefighters work on site after Russian attacks hit a shopping mall in Kyiv, Ukraine on March 21, 2022. The Kremlin says it used a hypersonic missile to destroy a Ukrainian military facility.
An unexploded rocket at a cemetery in Nikolaev, southern Ukraine, on March 21, 2022.
On Monday, Biden and White House officials met with top leaders including JP Morgan’s Jamie Dimon and ExxonMobil’s Darren Woods.
Biden also accused Putin of running “false flag” operations, saying the US has “biological and chemical weapons in Europe – just not true.”
He spoke after senior officials, including Biden, met with 16 leaders to discuss post-invasion energy, food and manufacturing issues, the White House confirmed.
“They conveyed the administration’s willingness to continue to impose heavy costs on Putin in order to destroy the Russian war machine and support the people of Ukraine, while taking concrete actions to mitigate the rise in prices for American consumers caused by Putin’s actions. Participants also discussed the need to work together to address Putin’s disruption of global markets and supply chains, especially with regard to energy and agricultural commodities, and identify alternative sources of supply for essential commodities. The private sector and administration are committed to maintaining close communication and coordination going forward.”
It was attended by the heads of ExxonMobil, Bank of America, ConocoPhillips, JP Morgan, Land O’Lakes, Cargill Inc and other firms, reports Reuters.
They talked about supply chain issues. The event was attended by National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Economic Council Director Brian Deese, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.