President Biden on Friday defended his decision to veto a U.S.-assisted transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine to repel a Russian invasion, saying “it’s called World War III.”
Biden faced bipartisan backlash for turning down Poland’s offer to hand over 28 Soviet-designed MiG-29s after Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Sunday that Poland had a green light.
“The idea that we are going to send offensive equipment and planes, tanks and trains with American pilots and American crews – just understand, don’t be fooled, whatever you say, this is called a world war. III,” Biden said at a House of Representatives caucus in Philadelphia.
Poland has offered to deliver the planes to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where the US will assist in the transfer. It was not clear whether American or Ukrainian pilots would send planes to Ukraine in accordance with the reinforced Polish plan.
Biden went on to defend his economic record, blaming Russian President Vladimir Putin for pushing annual inflation to a new 40-year high of 7.9% in February, up from 7.5% in January.
“One-third of all inflation in America last year was driven by car prices…companies couldn’t get semiconductors,” Biden said. “The second big cause of inflation is Vladimir Putin. Since he deployed his more than 150,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, the price of gasoline has risen by 75 cents in January.”
President Biden has argued that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to rising gas prices and inflation. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Biden continued: “Putin started amassing troops along the border, and you know what? The world has noticed. And those who will work in this business know that the market foresaw that prices rose even more. Then Putin invaded. Make no mistake, inflation is largely to blame for Putin.”
Inflation began to rise even before the White House began warning in November that a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine could be a prelude to an invasion.
Biden previously blamed inflation for supply chain problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said in December that the previous month’s annual inflation rate of 6.8% was likely a “peak”. In July, he said inflation was “temporary” at around 5 percent.
Biden insisted that his $1.9 trillion American bailout plan and his policy of restricting oil pipeline projects and drilling had little effect on inflation.
“Let’s be blunt: the construction of the Keystone pipeline was two years away. He was ready for 2 percent. Give me a break,” the president said 14 months after blocking the controversial project.
Biden accused energy companies of not drilling more oil, saying, “Oil companies and executives don’t want to drill more oil.”
President Biden has said he does not want to provoke World War III by sending fighter jets to Ukraine. AP
“Don’t tell me gas prices went up because I slowed down America’s energy production,” Biden said, before claiming “Putin’s gas tax pushed prices up.”
The White House has made a concerted effort to blame Putin for raising gas prices, especially after the US banned imports of Russian oil this week. The cost of fuel can indirectly increase the cost of other goods, exacerbating inflation.
“The Democrats did not create this problem. Vladimir Putin did it,” Biden insisted again on Friday.
An explosion in a residential building following a shelling of a Russian army tank in Mariupol, Ukraine, March 11, 2022. Photo by AP/Eugene Maloletka
However, the latest monthly inflation data released on Thursday covers only the first four days of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
The average US gasoline price was $4.34 a gallon on Friday, up sharply from about $3.60 on the last day of February. The national average hovered around $3.45 in February before bouncing higher after hovering around $3.30 in January.
Biden has defended his decision to block new jets for Ukraine as he faces strong bipartisan pressure to reconsider his decision not to transfer the jets.
President Biden says he doesn’t want to risk the lives of “American pilots and American crews” by going to Ukraine. NIKOLAS TUKAT/AFP via Getty Images
Poland has offered to deliver the planes to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where the US will assist in the transfer. It was not clear whether American or Ukrainian pilots would send planes to Ukraine in accordance with the reinforced Polish plan.
Get the latest updates in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict live on The Post.
On Thursday, forty Republican senators wrote to Biden urging him to reconsider his decision, with several Democrats lashing out at the decision.
“There is bipartisan support to provide these aircraft,” Sen. Zhanna Shaheen (D-NH) said Thursday. “It is very unfortunate to see the reluctance on the part of the administration. It looks like indecision and bickering among members of the administration, which does not contribute to the cause.”
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Western countries establish no-fly zones in the territories where hostilities are taking place.
“Timing is of the essence,” said Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “I understand why NATO and the US do not deal with the no-fly zone [in Ukraine]. It has potential [for] Direct conflict with Russia, but I don’t understand why we are not working on lightening the planes to Ukraine.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday that U.S. military officials have assessed that “the addition of aircraft to service is unlikely to significantly change the effectiveness of the Ukrainian air force compared to the capabilities of Russia.”
Psaki added: “The Ukrainian Air Force has several squadrons of fully operational aircraft, and although Russian air capabilities are significant, their effectiveness is limited due to Ukrainian strategic operational and tactical ground-based air defense systems – surface-to-air missiles. and MANPADS [man-portable air defense systems]”.
A senior US defense official said on Friday that Ukraine is believed to still have 56 fighter jets that can fly five to ten sorties a day domestically.
It’s not clear why Ukraine didn’t use its air force to bomb the miles-long Russian convoy north of Kyiv, although some experts suggest Ukrainian leaders are setting aside equipment for a potential counterattack if enemy forces close in on the capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for the speedy delivery of the planes as Russian troops began to encircle the country’s largest cities after two weeks of war.
“Decide quickly,” Zelensky said on Wednesday. “Don’t shift responsibility – send us planes.”