Former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany is questioning whether President Joe Biden will be able to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine during a phone call between the two leaders.
During an appearance on “Fox & Friends” Tuesday, McEnany said, “It’s staffers that are preparing this, and Biden, of course, will be briefed and well prepared by his team.”
“That being said, Putin is notorious for knowing how to push buttons, change things, and you have to be equipped, you have to be deft, you have to be on your feet, you have to know the games that Putin inevitably will play. And I’m not certain any of those words describe the current president and his capabilities on the world stage,” she continued.
Finally, McEnany said, “Again, I want the best for our country. I hope he’s tough. I hope he takes firm actions. I hope that Putin walks away, understanding you can’t act in the way China is doing with hypersonic missiles or North Korea, they’re back to their antics, but I don’t know if they will understand that because we all see Biden’s capabilities.”
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McEnany’s comments were made before Biden was scheduled to hold a video call with Putin and warn him against an invasion of Ukraine.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a senior administration official said Biden will “make clear that there will be very real costs should Russia choose to proceed, but he will also make clear that there is an effective way forward with respect to diplomacy.”
The call comes amid growing concerns that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine as intelligence reports show it has amassed troops on the European nation’s border. As the Journal notes, “The expected total force of 175,000 troops would be roughly twice the size of a buildup in the spring.”
Still, CIA Director William Burns said at The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit that the U.S. has not concluded that Russia is planning to invade.
