(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden reiterated Thursday at a NATO summit that the United States remains committed to checking Russian and Chinese aggression worldwide and that he will remain able to deal with leaders of hostile nations throughout a potential second term.
Biden, holding his first news conference since a worrying presidential debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump last month called into question his health and mental acuity, was asked by a reporter if he has a strategy to “disrupt the partnership” between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
On Wednesday, NATO labeled China a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Yes I do,” Biden said, “but I’m not prepared to talk about the detail of it in public.”
Russia remains mired in its war with Ukraine, well into its third year and showing little sign of ending. Meanwhile, many experts believe China may be preparing for a potential invasion of Taiwan, whose independence it disputes.
Biden expressed skepticism that any dialogue with Putin would be constructive, saying he had “no good reason to talk to” the Russian president.
“There’s not much that (Putin) is prepared to do in terms of accommodating any changes to his behavior,” he added, though he said he was open to starting a dialogue with the Russian leader under the right conditions.
As for Xi, Biden said, “We have to make sure that Xi understands there’s a price to pay for undercutting both the Pacific Basin as well as Europe as it relates to dealing with Russia and Ukraine.”
He later said he believes the U.S. has bolstered defenses against China in the Pacific region more than any other nation.
