Washington, Jan 20 (UNI) Commemorating the first year in office, US President Joe Biden said he was not apologetic on US withdrawal from Afghanistan there was no way easy way out after 20 years.
Replying to questions about the chaotic withdrawal of US forces on Wednesday, Biden said, "Raise your hand if you think anyone was going to be able to unify Afghanistan under one single government? It's been the graveyard of empires for a solid reason: It is not susceptible to unity."
He said the weekly spending of about one billion dollars for the American forces in Afghanistan did not guarantee peaceful resolution.
He said, "The question was, do I continue to spend that much money per week in the state of Afghanistan knowing that the idea that being able to succeed, other than sending more body bags back home, is highly, highly unusual.
"There is no way to get out of Afghanistan after 20 years easily. Not possible, no matter when you did it. And I make no apologies for what I did."
At the briefing, the President expressed his condolence on the lives lost during the withdrawal.
He said, "I have a great concern for the women and men who were blown up on the line at the airport by a terrorist attack against them."
On his first year anniversary in the White House, the President also announced that Vice President Kamala Harris would be his running mate in 2024.
Speaking on the Ukraine issue, Biden said that a "minor incursion" by Russia would elicit a lesser response than a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, CNN reported.
"I'm not so sure he is certain what he is going to do. My guess is he (President Vladimir Putin) will move in. He has to do something. He is trying to find his place in the world between China and the West," he said.
"If they actually do what they're capable of doing with the forces amassed on the border, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine. And that our allies and partners are ready to impose severe cost and significant harm on Russia and the Russian economy," he added.
UNI RNJ