Biden sends a fresh warning to Russia on its invasion of Ukraine.

Any Russian force deployments beyond Ukraine’s border would be considered an invasion, according to US President Joe Biden, and Moscow would “pay a severe price” for such an action.

It was the latest White House attempt to clarify remarks made by Biden a day earlier, in which he hinted that a “small invasion” by Russia into Ukrainian territory may prompt a more measured response from the US and its allies.

Biden sought to clarify his words at the opening of a White House meeting focused on domestic issues, facing an avalanche of criticism from Republican lawmakers and Ukrainian officials that Biden’s remarks had welcomed limited military action by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“With President Putin, I’ve been extremely explicit,” Biden stated. “Any, any assembled Russian units moving across the Ukrainian border is an invasion,” Biden said, adding that such an invasion would be punished with a “severe and concerted economic reaction.”

His remarks came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday in a high-stakes attempt to defuse tensions that looks to be doomed to fail.

According to Biden, the US is preparing for Russia to take action that is outside the scope of conventional combat.

“Russia has a long history of carrying out aggression through means other than overt military action,” he said, citing paramilitary methods, so-called gray zone attacks, and operations by Russian soldiers not wearing Russian insignia.

Biden stated on Wednesday that he believes Moscow will invade and warned Putin that if it does, Russia will pay a “heavy price” in terms of lives lost and possible cutoff from the global banking system.

However, Biden alarmed friends by adding that the response to a Russian invasion “depends on what it does.”

“It’s one thing if it’s a tiny incursion, and then we end up fighting about what to do and what not to do, and so on,” he explained.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was among those who expressed alarm.

“We would like to remind the great powers that petty intrusions and little states do not exist.” He wrote, “Just as there are no minor casualties and little pain at the loss of loved ones.”

Before leaving for Geneva, Blinken warned in Berlin that if Russia sent military forces into Ukraine, the US and its allies would respond “quickly and severely.”

“If any Russian military forces cross the Ukrainian border and perform additional acts of aggression against Ukraine, the United States and its allies and partners will respond swiftly, severely, and unitedly,” Blinken said during a joint press conference with his German colleague.

Later, Blinken claimed that Russia’s buildup of an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine was jeopardizing the world order’s foundations.

He added in a speech in Berlin, the city that represented the Cold War divide between East and West, that if Russia invades, it will face a concerted and devastating global response.

“We are dealing with complex challenges, and overcoming them will take time,” Blinken remarked. “I don’t think we’ll be able to solve them in Geneva tomorrow.”

He later told a Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences audience that Russia’s actions toward Ukraine are an attempt to subvert international norms, and that they are just the latest in a series of violations of numerous treaties, agreements, and other commitments Moscow has made to respect the sovereignty and territory of Ukraine.

“Perhaps no city in the world experienced the Cold War divisions like this metropolis,” Blinken added. “It was here that President John F. Kennedy proclaimed all free people to be citizens of Berlin.” President Ronald Reagan encouraged Mr. Gorbachev to demolish the wall. At times, it appears as if President Putin wishes to return to that golden period. “We sincerely hope not.”

Blinken had already met with top diplomats from the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to present a united front in the face of fears that Russia is contemplating an invasion of Ukraine. He had seen Ukraine’s president the day before in Kyiv.

Blinken went out of his way on Thursday to emphasize that the Unified States and its friends are united, adding that American diplomats had met with allies more than 100 times in recent weeks “to ensure that we are speaking the same language.”

“That unity gives us strength,” he added, “a strength that Russia can not and cannot equal.” “It’s why, in the first place, we form voluntary alliances and partnerships.” It’s also why Russia is attempting to split us in such a rash manner.”

The Biden administration announced fresh penalties against four Ukrainian officials on Thursday in Washington, saying they are part of a Russian influence attempt to create a pretext for an invasion.

Parliamentarians Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn, as well as two former government officials, are named in the sanctions. According to Treasury, all four were closely involved in disinformation attempts by Russia’s federal security organization, known as the FSB.

Russia denies plans for an invasion and accuses the West of staging “provocations” in Ukraine, noting the recent supply of weaponry to the nation by British military transporters.

Ukrainian and Western talk of an impending Russian attack, according to Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, is a “cover for conducting large-scale provocations of their own, including those of military character.”

Russia seeks legally enforceable security assurances, such as a permanent ban on Ukraine joining NATO, which Kyiv aspires to, and the evacuation of the majority of US and partner military bases in Eastern Europe.

The US and its European allies say they’re willing to accept some less-dramatic gestures, but that Russia’s demands are off the table, and that Putin isn’t interested.

“Our good-faith initiatives have thus far been denied –– because, in truth, this crisis is not primarily about weapons or military bases,” he explained.

“It’s about Ukraine’s sovereignty and self-determination, as well as the sovereignty and self-determination of other post-Soviet governments.” And at its heart, it’s about Russia’s rejection of a whole and free Europe after the Cold War.”

Russia scheduled widespread naval operations until February, some of which are reportedly taking place in the Black Sea, involving around 140 warships and 60 aircraft. Separately, Spain’s military minister announced that the country has received NATO authorisation to send two warships to the Black Sea.

In response to concerns that sanctions would not sway Putin, Blinken made a direct appeal to the Russian people to oppose any intervention.

“You, like all people everywhere, deserve to live in safety and dignity, and no one — not Ukraine, not the US, not NATO countries — is trying to undermine that.” But what actually jeopardizes your security is a senseless war with your Ukrainian neighbors, with all the sacrifices that entails — especially for the young people who would risk or even offer their lives in the process,” he warned.

On Ukraine, the US and NATO have a difficult task. In the event of another Russian invasion, Biden has stated that he will not send combat troops. He may, however, pursue less dramatic but still dangerous military choices, including as backing a post-invasion Ukrainian resistance.

The reason for not directly intervening in the Russia-Ukraine conflict is straightforward: The United States owes Ukraine no contractual obligations, and a war with Russia would be a huge risk. However, doing nothing carries its own set of dangers.