US President Joe Biden touched on a variety of hot-button topics both foreign and domestic in an exclusive interview with ABC News on Friday, weighing in on matters related to the ongoing Ukraine conflict and the recent balloon fiasco that stole US headlines for weeks.
The interview briefly saw the president discuss his 2024 presidential bid, on which he has yet to confirm and instead ensure the public that he "intends" to run for a second term.
Ukraine, Crimea & Military Aid
The US president in a sit-down interview with ABC's David Muir remarked he was ruling out "for now" the possibility of Washington providing Ukraine with any F-16 fighter jets, explaining that the Kiev regime "doesn't need F-16s now."
Asked whether that means if Ukraine is "never" receiving the fighter jets, Biden remarked that he was of the mindset that it simply wasn't the time for such a shipment.
"There is no basis upon which there is a rationale, according to our military now, to provide F-16s," Biden said. "I am ruling it out for now."
"There's things [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] needs now that we're sending him to put them in a position to be able to make gains this spring and this summer going into the fall," he continued, referring to arms such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
Biden's statement comes following multiple requests by the Kiev regime to be supplied F-16 fighter jets in order to bolster its military strength against Russia. Biden has previously noted that it would not be providing the fourth-generation supersonic fighter.
Momentarily weighing on the future of Crimea, the commander-in-chief stated it was ultimately up to Ukrainians to "decide that."
Since the start of Russia's special military operation Crimea has remained under the spotlight and more recently after US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland stated Crimea was a legitimate target of Ukrainian strikes. The comment itself drew condemnation from Moscow, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating it proved US' role "as the main instigator of the international tension that we have."
Balloon Heard Around the World
After weeks of heightened tensions, Biden conceded that China may not have been aware that the alleged spy balloon flown over the United States was on course to transit the country.
“It is almost not relevant,” Biden said on Friday, when asked whether he believes the balloon was intentionally flown over the US. “There is a possibility [China did not know].”
Earlier this month, the US shot down the alleged surveillance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean, despite China having stressed that the balloon was part of a civilian weather research initiative.
21 February 2023, 12:07 GMT
Just days after the Chinese balloon was downed off the coast of South Carolina, the US announced it had shot down three additional "objects" it perceived as a threat.
No Benefit in China's Ukraine Peace Plan, Doubts Beijing Will Arm Russia
Touching on the recent release of China's position paper on the Ukraine conflict, Biden said he sees nothing in China’s proposed plan for Ukraine that would benefit any country but Russia.
The president further noted that the "idea that China would is going to be negotiating the outcome of a war ... is just not rational."
"I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia," Biden said, adding he does not anticipate a major initiative on the part of China providing weaponry to Russia.
However, the president did go on to state that the US "would respond" if it determined China had in fact provided any form of lethal arms to aid Russia in its operation. He did not elaborate on what the US response would look like, simply referring to its sanctions campaign already underway.
"It would be the same line everyone else would have crossed. In other words, we've imposed severe sanctions on anyone who has done that," Biden said.
It's worth noting that the European Union earlier emphasized that no evidence whatsoever has been found to suggest that Beijing has supplied weapons.
Earlier, China released a 12-point document titled "China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis," promoting, among other things, respect of the sovereignty of all countries, the cessation of hostilities and the resumption of peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
Forget Cold War Stance & Politicization: What Did China Say in Its Position Paper on Ukraine Crisis?
24 February 2023, 04:53 GMT
The Russian Foreign Ministry in response to the proposal said Russia values China's sincere desire to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin has repeatedly emphasized its readiness to negotiate, while the government in Kiev has ruled out any talks as long as Vladimir Putin remains president of Russia.