Psaki Claims Sanctions Strategy “Worked” as Putin Invades, Says Biden “Never Shifted” on Nord Stream 2, Minimizes Food Costs While Denying It

On 2/23/2022, Press Secretary Psaki claimed Biden’s sanctions strategy had “worked” even as Putin was invading Ukraine, insisted the administration had “never shifted” on Nord Stream 2 despite waiving sanctions then reimposing them, and denied ever minimizing food costs — then immediately minimized Thanksgiving turkey prices by saying it was “about a dollar more.” She also refused to say whether sanctions would deter further invasion and maintained “there is no current threat as it relates to cyber” despite the FBI warning businesses about cybersecurity risks.

”Our Approach Has Worked”

A reporter pointed out the obvious contradiction: the administration had opposed pre-emptive sanctions on Nord Stream 2, waived existing sanctions, then reimposed them only after Russia invaded. “That’s a pretty big shift,” the reporter noted.

“We don’t see it as a shift at all,” Psaki said. “We have never supported the pipeline. It was 90% built when the President took office. We’ve always spoken out against the pipeline.”

When pressed on why earlier sanctions would not have been effective, Psaki argued the diplomatic approach with Germany was superior. “We felt working in coordination with our German counterparts through a diplomatic process would be effective. Others can have different assessments. There’s no proof or evidence that their approach would have worked. Ours has worked.”

The claim that the strategy had “worked” — made while Russian troops were crossing Ukraine’s border — drew immediate skepticism.

”Never Minimized” — Then Minimizes

A reporter noted that the conflict would likely drive up already-high food prices and asked what the White House response was to “even higher grocery prices.” Psaki pushed back: “I don’t think we’ve ever minimized the higher impact of the cost of food.”

She then immediately did just that. “I think the price of a turkey just a couple of months ago was about a dollar more if we just look back at the facts of what was actually happening at the time,” Psaki said — reducing the historic Thanksgiving inflation to a single dollar.

Will Sanctions Deter Further Invasion?

Multiple reporters pressed Psaki on whether the sanctions would actually stop Putin from invading further. She refused to commit. “I think that is a decision for President Putin to make,” she said.

When a reporter noted that “you announced sanctions yesterday — did any Russian military units turn around and head back towards Russia?” Psaki declined to assess military movements.

Another reporter framed the contradiction directly: “You’ve said the purpose of withholding harsher sanctions is so they have a deterrent effect. But at the same time you’re saying a broader invasion is likely. How are both of those true?”

“We are trying to prevent that from happening,” Psaki said.

”No Current Cyber Threat”

Psaki maintained there was “no current threat as it relates to cyber” despite the FBI reportedly warning businesses about heightened cybersecurity risks from Russia. A reporter noted that the deputy national security advisor for cyber had come to the briefing room days earlier to warn about insufficient cyber resilience.

“Why would somebody come to the White House briefing room and talk about that if there is no threat?” the reporter asked.

“Because we anticipate that there could be continuing threats in the future,” Psaki said.

Gas Prices: “Standing Up for Values Is Not Without Cost”

With gas already approaching $5 per gallon in California, a reporter asked how high prices could go. Psaki offered no prediction. “As you heard the President say last week, standing up for our values is not without cost. What we are trying to do is minimize that cost,” she said.

She added that the sanctions announced “will not have an impact on the American people” — a claim that would be tested rapidly as energy markets responded to the invasion.

Nord Stream 2: “Dead at the Bottom of the Sea”

When pressed on whether Nord Stream 2 was permanently dead or merely suspended, Psaki offered a colorful but non-committal answer. “It’s currently dead at the bottom of the sea, Peter. I’m not going to get ahead of where we are in the process,” she said — leaving open the possibility that Germany’s Chancellor Scholz could reverse the suspension later.

Key Takeaways

Psaki claimed the sanctions strategy had “worked” even as Russia was invading Ukraine, insisting the diplomatic approach with Germany was vindicated.
She denied ever minimizing food costs, then immediately cited Thanksgiving turkey as “about a dollar more” to downplay inflation concerns.
Psaki refused to say whether sanctions would deter further Russian invasion, saying “that is a decision for President Putin to make.”
She maintained “there is no current cyber threat” despite FBI warnings to businesses and the White House’s own cyber advisor briefing on inadequate resilience.
On Nord Stream 2, Psaki said it was “currently dead at the bottom of the sea” but would not commit to it being permanently ended.

Transcript Highlights

The following is transcribed from the video audio (unverified — AI-generated from audio).

Others can have different assessments. There’s no proof their approach would have worked. Ours has worked.
I don’t think we’ve ever minimized the higher impact of the cost of food. The price of a turkey was about a dollar more.
Will these sanctions actually be a deterrent? That is a decision for President Putin to make.
There is no current threat as it relates to cyber. We anticipate there could be continuing threats in the future.
Standing up for our values is not without cost. What we are trying to do is minimize that cost.
It’s currently dead at the bottom of the sea, Peter. I’m not going to get ahead of where we are in the process.

Full transcript: 1895 words transcribed via Whisper AI.