Biden calls Putin a “rational actor” who “completely miscalculated” on the Ukraine war: President says Russian leader believed he would be “welcomed with open arms” in what he called “mother’s homeland.” Russia” held.
- President Joe Biden met with CNN’s Jake Tapper for an interview on Tuesday
- When asked about Vladimir Putin’s rationality, the president was careful to distinguish between the brains of the Russian autocrat and his invasion of Ukraine
- He called the latter and Russia’s justifications for it “irrational.”
- It comes as the world nervously questions Putin’s sanity amid his increasingly hostile threats to unleash a nuclear attack on Ukraine
- Biden sat down with CNN hours after an emergency G7 meeting with Ukraine
President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “rational actor” who launched an “irrational” invasion of Ukraine in a new television interview Tuesday.
“I think he’s a rational actor who’s miscalculated significantly,” Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper in a preview clip of his primetime interview.
The president cited preparations for Putin’s invasion earlier this year when “no one believed he was going to invade Ukraine,” despite increasingly hostile rhetoric and a gathering of troops on the neighboring state’s border.
“Listen to what he says, if you listen to the speech he gave after that decision was made, he talked about the whole idea – he had to be the leader of Russia, uniting all Russian-speaking people – I mean, it’s just, I just think it’s irrational,” Biden said.
The Russian autocrat’s mental stability had been the subject of speculation when he first launched the unprovoked attack in late February amid rumors his thinking had been altered by cancer treatments or steroids. None of these have ever been confirmed.
Putin’s sanity is now back under the world’s microscope as he and his henchmen continue to threaten to unleash nuclear hell on Ukraine.
But during his interview on Tuesday, Biden was careful to distinguish between his Kremlin counterpart’s thoughts and his plans for Kyiv.
He cut off Tapper as the journalist began, “Well, if he’s not sane…”
“No, I didn’t say he’s not rational, I think — I think the speech, his goals aren’t rational,” Biden clarified.
He added that Putin probably believed his attempt to annex all of Ukraine as part of Russia would be “welcomed with open arms.”
President Joe Biden has a new sit-in interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper Tuesday
“I think he thought, Jake, I think he thought he’d be welcomed with open arms, that this was Mother Russia’s home in Kyiv, and that’s where he would be welcomed,” the president said.
“And I think he just totally miscalculated.”
Ukrainian forces have conducted an unprecedented and successful counteroffensive in recent weeks to retake Russian-held territory.
Putin also suffered a blow when the bridge over the Kerch Strait, connecting the Crimea peninsula to Russian-held Kherson, was partially destroyed in an explosion.
The setbacks have prompted Russia to retaliate with indiscriminate rocket fire at Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv.
Biden warned last weekend that the world faces nuclear “Armageddon” if Putin’s war escalates.
Several administration officials have since confirmed that the US sees no change in Russia’s nuclear stance, while Biden’s critics have accused him of unnecessary verbal escalation.
He specified that he believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “rational” man who is conducting an “irrational” invasion of Ukraine
Hours before Biden sat down with CNN on Tuesday, he was attending an emergency meeting of G7 leaders with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
They condemned Russia’s attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine and Putin’s annexation of parts of the east of the country.
The G7 also called for investigations to continue into the mysterious explosions that caused a leak in the Nord Stream pipelines between Russia and Germany, which were idle due to the war.
“We have assured President Zelenskyy that we remain unwavering and unwavering in our commitment to providing the support Ukraine needs to uphold its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the White House statement said.
“We will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, military, diplomatic and legal support to Ukraine and stand firmly with Ukraine for as long as necessary. We are committed to helping Ukraine meet its winter needs.’
They also promised “serious consequences” if Putin went ahead with the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy asked world leaders for more air defense systems as the Russian invasion approaches its eighth month in late October.
The interview comes after G7 leaders condemned Russia’s recent attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine and warned of an escalation with nuclear weapons (Pictured: people look at their wrecked cars amid damage caused by a rocket attack in a residential area near Tower 101 not far from Kyiv Central Station on October 11)