US President Joe Biden pledged on Friday by "avoiding a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia," he said.
"We will not go to war with Russia in Ukraine," Biden said, in a speech at the White House, warning that Moscow "will pay a heavy price if it uses chemical weapons" in Ukraine.
Westerners are concerned about the possibility of Moscow using chemical weapons in Ukraine, while Moscow accuses Washington and Kiev of setting up laboratories in Ukraine aimed at producing biological weapons, which the two capitals deny.
In return, Joe Biden announced that the United States and its allies had decided to exclude Russia from the reciprocal trade system applicable in global commerce.
"The United States will cancel the status of permanent normal trade relations with Russia," he added.
The change, which Biden said was made in coordination with US allies, will clear the way for the United States to impose tariffs on a wide range of Russian goods and increase pressure on an economy on the brink of a deep recession.
"We will also take additional measures to ban key sectors of the Russian economy, especially marine products, vodka and precious stones," he further explained.
The Source
- Agencies