Blinken insists Biden 'makes the decisions' in US response to Russia

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a lengthy interview about Russia a year after the invasion of Ukraine, took a moment to insist that when it comes to how the United States handles the situation, President Biden is the one calling the shots.

Blinken was in the middle of discussing how Biden wants to continue supporting Ukraine but does not want to "broaden" the war, then made it clear that it is indeed up to Biden.

"And by the way, he’s the one who makes the decisions," Blinken told Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. "The rest of us, we can give him advice, recommendations, if you’re not in government you can opine and criticize, which is always what’s needed to make sure we’re doing the best that we can, but ultimately, as the saying goes, the buck stops with him. And that’s something that he takes very seriously."

The statement came at a time when it remains a question whether Biden will seek re-election in 2024. Members of both parties have expressed concern about the president's ability to win and serve a second term, as he recently turned 80.

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Blinken also heaped praise on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the interview, lauding him for how he has handled the Russian invasion, going back to when Blinken first warned him that he believed an invasion was coming.

"Right man, right place, right time. Someone who stood up to this moment in history," Blinken said, adding that the Ukrainian leader has "become an extraordinary figure on the world stage, as well, all to the benefit of his country."

Blinken also addressed the nature of the situation between Russia and the U.S., fielding a question of whether it is Cold War-like in nature. The secretary noted that the current conflict is not ideologically based in terms of communism versus capitalism.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy avoided likening the current situation with Russia to the Cold War, noting that the present conflict is not rooted in ideology. (RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

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"It is about an imperialist power that is seeking to aggress another country, and to aggress the principles at the heart of the U.N. charter that are there to try to keep the peace around the world, and many countries standing up against that," Blinken said. "So in that sense, I don't see it as a Cold War, I see it as a large part of the world standing up against aggression."

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Blinken added that opposing Russia's aggression is not just important for fending off the threat to the Ukrainian people, but for making sure "that other would-be aggressors" do not "get the wrong message from what Russia is doing."