"To send an army to Ukraine if the Russians attack? That's not an option."

"To send an army to Ukraine if the Russians attack? That's not an option."

"That option is not on the table. The idea that the United States will use force unilaterally to confront Russia in the event of its invasion of Ukraine is currently unrealistic. But if that invasion happens, there will be serious consequences," Biden told reporters outside the White House, reports the Voice of America.

Biden gave this statement the day after talking to Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours, after which he said that the United States and European allies were "deeply concerned" about Russia's accumulation of troops near the border with Ukraine, and would respond to "strong" economic sanctions if Russia invade that land.

However, even without sending American soldiers, the highest officials of the White House and the Pentagon pointed out on Wednesday that there are still ways for Washington to strengthen the defense of Kiev.

"There are options to expand security assistance to Ukraine's self-defense," Pentagon Undersecretary of Political Affairs Colin Kahl said at a virtual security summit, pointing to current deliveries of ammunition, anti-tank systems, radar and other facilities. White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also defended the administration's policy in the field of aid to Ukraine.

"Being proactive means making preparations. We have gone much further than any previous administration in terms of providing defensive support to the Ukrainian army, long before a potential crisis erupts," Sullivan said at the summit.

The U.S. President also said on Wednesday, before leaving for Kansas City where he will promote his new bipartisan infrastructure law, that he hopes to be able to announce "high-level" meetings between Russia and other NATO countries by the end of the week. According to the Kremlin, during yesterday's meeting, Putin emphasized to Biden that Ukraine did not implement the Minsk agreement from 2015, which aims to stop the conflicts in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, and that he "expressed serious concern over Kiev's provocative actions in Donbas."

The Russian leader accused NATO of making "dangerous attempts to conquer Ukrainian territory" and of accumulating military capacities near the Russian border, the Kremlin said, according to the Voice of America.