MSNBC's Rachel Maddow: Biden used long press conference to show Putin he has 'stamina'

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Biden says Ukraine invasion would be ‘disaster’ for Russia

Fox News State Department correspondent Benjamin Hall reports from Kyiv ahead of Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s meeting with Russian Foreign Minister.

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow said President Biden's nearly two-hour long press conference on Wednesday was a show of "stamina" towards Russian President Vladamir Putin.

"I mean, it's long for a presidential press conference. It's long specifically for him. He hasn't done nearly this long," Maddow said. 

Biden's rare presser marked nearly one year since he took office. 

(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |   Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)

Maddow went on to say that with all the Russia-talk she wondered whether Biden decided to show up Putin by answering questions for nearly two hours. 

"With all the talk about Putin and him talking about … the question of whether Putin is going to invade Ukraine might … be decided by which side of the bed Putin wakes up on – and all this stuff about trying to get Putin's head. One part of me wondered if he was trying to sort of ape Putin's annual press conference thing where he does these sort of feats of strength. He does these feats of stamina showing how long that he can continue to go taking these questions. So that was part of it," Maddow said. 

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During the press conference, Biden predicted that Putin would invade Ukraine. He said, "It's one thing if it's a minor incursion, and we end up having to fight about what to do and not do … But 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."

Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow

The White House later clarified that any incursion across the Ukrainian border "will be met with a swift, severe, and united response from the United States and our Allies."

"President Biden also knows from long experience that the Russians have an extensive playbook of aggression short of military action, including cyberattacks and paramilitary tactics. And he affirmed today that those acts of Russian aggression will be met with a decisive, reciprocal, and united response," White House Press Secretary Psaki said.

An Ukrainian soldier stands in a trench near the front line on January 17, 2022 in the village of New York, formerly known as Novhorodske, Ukraine. 

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The former Soviet country has been amassing troops at the border. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry intelligence indicates that Russia's military might is "almost complete" at their border.

"There's been serious American diplomacy going on, trying to avoid that expected war. Now we get the president bluntly stating, stating he thinks Russia is going to do it. And so that is that's a big deal and that I think is going to be the most consequential headline out of this," Maddow said.