President Joe Biden again ruled out any direct intervention by the United States to halt Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Friday, warning that such conflict pitting the NATO alliance against the Kremlin "is World War III."
"We will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine," Biden said in a speech at the White House, refuting increasingly desperate calls from Kyiv for NATO to intervene against the Russian assault.
Biden announced a ban Friday on Russian seafood, vodka and diamonds, as Washington tightened sanctions against the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.
The ban targets goods from "several signature sectors of the Russian economy," Biden said in a speech at the White House.
Biden said Friday the United States and its allies will strip Russia of the status guaranteeing equal treatment between international trade partners, the latest punishment for President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
"The United States and our allies and partners continue in lockstep to ramp up the economic pressures on Putin and to further isolate Russia on the global stage," Biden said at the White House in announcing the move to be taken jointly with NATO allies, the G7 and European Union.
Biden on Friday vowed that Russia would pay a "severe price" if it used chemical weapons in Ukraine, after US intelligence reportedly suggested that Moscow was preparing such an attack.
"I'm not going to speak about the intelligence, but Russia would play a severe price if they used chemicals," Biden said, answering questions at a White House press conference where he announced further sanctions on Russia.
Biden's comments come as the UN Security Council prepares to meet later in the morning in a session called by Russia over its so far unsubstantiated charges that the US has biowarfare labs in Ukraine.
US officials have warned that Russia's allegations are efforts to obfuscate responsibility for a potential chemical attack in Ukraine by Russia. The White House has labeled the allegations "disinformation," and urged the international community to fix its focus on Russia ahead of a possible attack.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday took to Twitter to dismiss the suggestions, saying that the US is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, adding Washington "does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere."
"It's Russia that has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law," she said.
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global companies from Russia.
Over 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion. About two million others have been displaced internally within the country, according to UN estimates.
