Ukraine’s operation in the Kursk region has created a real dilemma for Putin, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. The president also commented on Iran’s expected retaliatory strike on Israel, saying Tehran might refrain from attacking if a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is reached sooner.
I have been talking to my colleagues about this regularly, probably every four or five hours for the last six or eight days. This creates a real dilemma for Putin. We are in direct and constant contact with the Ukrainians.
Biden said, answering questions from reporters on the tarmac in New Orleans.
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Biden’s first statement on the counteroffensive
This was the president’s first comment on the Ukrainian offensive into Russian territory. Until now, administration officials have treated the situation with reservations, stating only that decisions on Ukrainian military operations are up to Ukraine and that the United States had not been warned about the operation in the Kursk Oblast. On Tuesday, during a briefing aboard Air Force One, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stressed that the United States is not involved in Ukraine’s offensive into Russia.
In New Orleans, Biden also addressed an expected Iranian retaliatory strike on Israel over the July 31 assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniye in Tehran. Biden said he expected Iran to refrain from retaliating if Hamas and Israel reach an agreement on a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. The White House has warned that an Iranian strike could happen this week, although a new round of peace talks is scheduled to begin on Thursday.
Biden also admitted that it was becoming more difficult to reach an agreement to stop the war, but assured that he “would not give up”.
gah/PAP
