Biden Predicts an Invasion That Putin Will Regret

In a press conference Wednesday to mark his one-year anniversary in office, President Biden touted his accomplishments, defended his record, and predicted Russia will invade Ukraine. Biden said he expects Russian President Vladimir Putin, who's moved 100,000 troops to the border with Ukraine, to end the current standoff with some sort of action, the New York Times reports. "Do I think he'll test the West, test the United States and NATO, as significantly as he can? Yes, I think he will," Biden said. But the president said Putin would regret an invasion: "I think he will pay a serious and dear price for it." Among other issues, Biden addressed:

• Build Back Better: The president said he'll probably have to divide his social spending measure into smaller pieces to get anything through Congress, per the Hill. "I think we can break the package up, get as much as we can now, come back and fight for the rest later," Biden said.
• Inflation: The administration is going after rising prices by trying to solve the problems in the supply chain, Biden said, per the Washington Post. "We've been able to make progress on speeding up the access to materials," he said.
• The pandemic: Biden conceded testing capacity should've been increased sooner but expressed satisfaction with adult vaccination rates, now close to 75%. Overall on the pandemic, he said, "I think we’ve done remarkably well."
• GOP congressional opposition: "What are Republicans for?" Biden asked in saying they only want to prevent him from accomplishing his goals. "Name me one thing that they are for." The president said he won't abandon his legislative agenda. "We just have to make the case what we’re for and what the other team's not."
• Getting out more: Biden said he intends to leave Washington more often to hear from Americans, as well as outside experts, per ABC News. His travels will include becoming "deeply involved" in the midterm campaigns, Biden said.

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