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Psaki Gets Testy When Asked to Name One Thing U.S. Has Done That’s Helped Ukraine

Peter Doocy of Fox News asked White House Press Secretary to just name one thing that the Joe Biden Administration has done to help Ukraine that has been effective.

The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been escalating, with Russia dropping several lethal bomb’s on Ukraine’s capital.

Axios reported on Monday, “The Biden administration announced Monday morning that Russia’s central bank will be prohibited from undertaking transactions in dollars under a new concerted effort by the U.S. and its allies, a move that is set to accelerate Russia’s economic tailspin.”

Here is a transcript of the testy exchange between Doocy and Psaki:

Doocy: “There is a report in The New York Times that you guys kept asking China to help you stop Russia from invading Ukraine, and they didn’t. So, what have you guys done throughout this slow-moving Russia crisis that has worked?”

Psaki: “In what capacity?”

Doocy: “Well, the President talked to Putin, he talked to the G7, he threatened sanctions, he put sanctions in place. Now he says the sanctions are going to take 30 days, or about a month. Do you guys think that people in Ukraine have about a month?”

Psaki: “Well, Peter, let me just take a step back and explain to everyone how diplomacy works and how our approach from the United States has worked. What the President has done is he has built a global coalition to stand up in the face of President Putin and President Putin’s aggression and invasion of Ukraine. What he has done is he has rallied the world, our European partners, even at cost to them in some capacities, to put in place significant sanctions, historic sanctions that would have an enormous impact on the Russian financial sector. It is president Putin’s choice to go to war and invade Ukraine. That is what he has done. It is our choice and our responsibility and the role of the President of the United States to rally opposition and make sure they feel significant pain from that choice. That’s exactly what we have done.”

Doocy: “And I understand that you’re saying that these sanctions will have an impact on Russia. But what good does that do to these people in Ukraine who are seeing the news and these U.S. intel assessments that Kyiv is going to fall any day?”

Psaki: “Well, Peter, first of all, we are the largest provider of humanitarian assistance, of security assistance in the world, to the Ukrainian, to the Ukrainian government, which still stands, and the biggest supporter of the Ukrainian people. And we will continue to be. And we are leading this global effort to stand up against the aggression of President Putin. And so, we are doing, and the President is doing nearly everything in his power to lead the world and stand up against the actions of President Putin. What he will not do is send U.S. troops to fight in Ukraine. Because he is not going to put the American public, the American people, or the United States in a position of fighting a war with Russia.”

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