{"id":1405884,"date":"2022-03-28T21:14:53","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T01:14:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1405884"},"modified":"2022-03-28T21:14:56","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T01:14:56","slug":"fact-check-biden-claims-sanctions-were-never-meant-to-deter-putin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fact-check-biden-claims-sanctions-were-never-meant-to-deter-putin\/","title":{"rendered":"Fact Check: Biden Claims Sanctions Were &#039;Never&#039; Meant to Deter Putin"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffact-check-biden-claims-sanctions-were-never-meant-to-deter-putin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1405884&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\"><strong>CLAIM:<\/strong> President Joe Biden claimed last week during his trip to Europe that sanctions were \u201cnever\u201d meant to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>VERDICT: False. Biden and multiple senior members of his administration claimed repeatedly that sanctions were meant to deter Putin from invading Ukraine.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>Biden said in Brussels on Thursday, \u201cI did not say that, in fact, the sanctions would deter him [Putin].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSanctions never deter,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>However, as far back as January 19, Biden was explaining how the threat of sanctions would deter Putin.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>A reporter asked Biden at a press conference that day, \u201cGiven how ineffective sanctions have been in deterring Putin in the past, why should the threat of new sanctions give him pause?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Biden responded, \u201cWell, because he\u2019s never seen sanctions like the ones I promised will be imposed if he moves.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then on January 23,\u00a0Secretary of State Antony Blinken <a href=\"https:\/\/www.state.gov\/secretary-antony-j-blinken-with-margaret-brennan-of-cbs-face-the-nation-2\/\">said<\/a> on CBS News\u2019s <em>Face the Nation<\/em>,\u00a0\u201cAs to the sanctions, the most important thing we can do is to use them as a deterrent, as a means of dissuading Russia from engaging in further aggression. Once sanctions are triggered, you lose the deterrent effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On January 25, the White House held a background briefing about sanctions, titled \u201cRussia Ukraine Economic Deterrence Measures.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">They titled their press call about sanctions literally \u201cRussia Ukraine Economic Deterrence Measures.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1MqiNFIhuE\">pic.twitter.com\/1MqiNFIhuE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Omri Ceren (@omriceren) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/omriceren\/status\/1507090340976680960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>On February 3, State Department Press Secretary Ned Price said sanctions were part of measures \u201cto deter what could be additional Russian aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On February 7, Josep Borell,\u00a0high representative of the European Union for foreign affairs and security policy, <a href=\"https:\/\/eeas.europa.eu\/headquarters\/headquarters-homepage\/110638\/eu-us-press-remarks-high-representative-josep-borrell-after-meeting-secretary-state-antony_en\">said<\/a>\u00a0about sanctions at the State Department while standing next to Blinken,\u00a0\u201cWe want to make clear, what would be the consequences of some actions. Because this is the deterrence part of the diplomatic talks.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>On February 11, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters, \u201cThe president believes that sanctions are intended to deter.\u201d And in order for them to work \u2014 to deter, they have to be set up in a way where if Putin moves, then the costs are imposed. We believe that that is the right logic.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-conversation=\"none\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Sullivan: \u201cThe President believes that sanctions are intended to deter. And in order for them to work \u2013 to deter\u2026\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3qjXdLUMuM\">pic.twitter.com\/3qjXdLUMuM<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Omri Ceren (@omriceren) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/omriceren\/status\/1507090336530767872?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On February 20, Vice President Kamala Harris said in Munich, \u201cThe purpose of the sanctions has always been and continues to be deterrence.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>On February 20, Blinken said on <em>Face the Nation<\/em> about sanctions, \u201cThe purpose of that is to do everything we can to deter it, to prevent a war, to deter the aggression. And we don\u2019t want to pull the trigger until we have to because we lose the deterrent effect.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Also on February 20, Blinken said on NBC News\u2019s <em>Meet the Press<\/em>, \u201cWe\u2019re going to try everything we possibly can to get President Putin to reverse the decision we believe he\u2019s made and to dissuade him. Part of that is the prospect of massive sanctions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cWe\u2019re trying to prevent a war. As soon as you trigger the sanctions, of course, any deterrent effect they may have is gone. They get absorbed by President Putin and he, and he moves on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blinken also told CNN, \u201cThe purpose of the sanctions in the first instance is to try to deter Russia from going to war.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Secretary Blinken told CNN on the same day, &#8220;The purpose of the sanctions in the first instance is to try to deter Russia from going to war.&#8221; 3\/3<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Nick Wadhams (@nwadhams) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nwadhams\/status\/1496929750174085126?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 24, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On February 22, Daleep Singh, the Biden administration\u2019s\u00a0deputy national security adviser for international economics, said at the White House, \u201cSanctions are not an end to themselves. They serve a higher purpose. And that purpose is to deter and prevent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Singh added, \u201cThey\u2019re meant to prevent and deter a large-scale invasion of Ukraine that could involve the seizure of major cities including Kyiv. They\u2019re meant to prevent large-scale human suffering that could involve tens of thousands of casualties in a conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On February 24 \u2014 the day that Russia invaded Ukraine \u2014 Singh pivoted.<\/p>\n<p>He defended not\u00a0imposing sanctions beforehand and said sanctions were \u201cultimately\u201d about making the invasion a strategic failure for Russia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHad we unleashed our entire package of financial sanctions preemptively, I think a couple of things might have happened. Number one, President Putin might have said, look, these people are not serious about diplomacy.\u00a0They\u2019re not engaging in a good faith effort to promote peace. Instead, they\u2019re escalating. And that could provide a justification for him to escalate and invade,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSecondly, he could look at it as a sunk cost. In other words, President Putin could think I\u2019ve already paid the price. Why don\u2019t I actually take what I paid for, which is Ukraine\u2019s freedom,\u201d he said, before pivoting.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo that\u2019s what we wanted to avoid. Look, ultimately the goal of our sanctions is to make this a strategic failure for Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Democrat lawmakers also argued that sanctions would deter Putin.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20269649\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2022\/03\/mar-18-22-russian-president-vladimir-putin-getty.jpg\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia\u2019s annexation of Crimea at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow on March 18, 2022. (Photo by MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV\/SPUTNIK\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said on January 2 on <em>Face the Nation<\/em>, \u201cI think that it would require enormous sanctions on Russia to deter what appears to be a very likely Russian invasion of Ukraine again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, many Republicans argued that the threat of sanctions was not enough to deter Putin and that they needed to be imposed before he invaded, not after.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX) said on CNN on January 19, \u201d I don\u2019t think we\u2019re providing the deterrence necessary to stop Putin from invading Ukraine, the bread basket of Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants to reclaim the old Soviet empire, and I don\u2019t see a lot of deterrence, you know, on the table,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p><em>Follow Breitbart News\u2019s Kristina Wong on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/kristina_wong\">Twitter<\/a>\u00a0or on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/kristinawongreporting\">Facebook<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CLAIM: President Joe Biden claimed last week during his trip to Europe that sanctions were \u201cnever\u201d meant to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine. VERDICT: False. Biden and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1405884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1405884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1405884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1405884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1405884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1405884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1405884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}