Biden says Putin 'totally miscalculated' by invading Ukraine but is a 'rational actor' - CNN

Watch Jake Tapper’s exclusive interrogation with President Joe Biden connected CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper astatine 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.

CNN  — 

President Joe Biden said successful an exclusive CNN interrogation Tuesday he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin is simply a “rational actor” who nevertheless severely misjudged his quality to invade Ukraine and suppress its people.

“I deliberation helium is simply a rational histrion who has miscalculated significantly,” Biden told Jake Tapper arsenic Russian bombardments connected civilian targets successful Ukraine signaled different turning constituent successful the months-long war.

Tapper’s afloat interrogation with Biden airs Tuesday astatine 9 p.m. ET connected “CNN Tonight with Jake Tapper.”

Biden, his apical officials and chap Western leaders person spent the past respective months debating what steps Putin whitethorn instrumentality arsenic his troops endure embarrassing losses connected the battlefield successful Ukraine. Biden himself warned past week the hazard of “nuclear Armageddon” was astatine its highest constituent successful 60 years.

Whether Putin is acting rationally has been a taxable of aggravated statement arsenic leaders enactment to foretell his adjacent steps. While Biden said Tuesday helium believed Putin himself was rational, helium characterized the Russian leader’s aims successful Ukraine – which Putin laid retired successful an aggravated code arsenic helium launched the warfare successful February – arsenic ridiculous.

“You perceive to what helium says. If you perceive to the code helium made aft erstwhile that determination was being made, helium talked astir the full thought of – helium was needed to beryllium the person of Russia that agreed each of Russian speakers. I mean, it’s conscionable I conscionable deliberation it’s irrational,” Biden said.

Going further, Biden said Putin wrongly believed Ukrainians would taxable to Russian penetration – a misjudgment that’s been disproved by fierce absorption wrong the country.

“I deliberation the speech, his objectives were not rational. I deliberation helium thought, Jake, I deliberation helium thought helium was going to beryllium welcomed with unfastened arms, that this was the location of Mother Russia successful Kyiv, and that wherever helium was going to beryllium welcomed, and I deliberation helium conscionable wholly miscalculated,” Biden said.

Indeed, a counteroffensive launched by Ukraine past period was palmy successful retaking territory antecedently held by the Russians, including captious proscription hubs. The losses proved the latest large embarrassment for Russia, whose subject has struggled implicit the people of the seven-month war.

This week, however, Russia launched 1 of its fiercest bombing campaigns since invading successful precocious February. At slightest 19 radical person been killed and much than 100 wounded crossed the country, arsenic acold distant arsenic the occidental metropolis of Lviv, hundreds of miles from the war’s main theaters successful eastbound and confederate Ukraine.

Biden spoke to Tapper a fewer hours aft gathering virtually with members of the Group of 7 industrialized nations, who heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky connected the request to bolster his country’s aerial defenses amid the caller Russian bombardments.

Zelensky told the gathering that “common efforts to make an aerial shield for Ukraine” indispensable beryllium intensified amid a barrage of Russian cruise rocket and drone attacks.

White House officials person said the US is prepared to further bolster Ukraine’s aerial defenses, including done rocket defence systems that Biden expedited transportation of implicit the summer.

Yet Russia’s aggravated aerial battle of the Ukrainian superior Kyiv and connected civilian infrastructure suggested Putin could beryllium employing caller tactics meant to terrorize Ukrainians arsenic the wintertime approaches.