Ukraine crisis: Biden will consider imposing sanctions on Putin personally, and Macron warns Russia of the "heavy price"

 US President Joe Biden said that he would consider imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin personally if Russia invaded Ukraine, adding that there was no intention to send American or other NATO forces to Ukraine.

Biden told reporters during a tour in Washington: We have no intention of deploying US or NATO forces in Ukraine.

 Macron warns Russia

 French President Emmanuel Macron said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that Russia would pay a "very heavy price" if it invaded Ukraine.

 Macron indicated that he will hold telephone talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the Ukraine crisis.

 The French presidency (Elysee Palace) announced yesterday, Monday, that the French president will communicate with Russian President Vladimir Putin "within days" and that he "will present him with a proposal to reduce the escalation."

 US threat of harsh sanctions

 A senior US official in the White House announced, on Tuesday, that the package of economic sanctions that Washington is preparing to respond to any Russian invasion of Ukraine will include unprecedented restrictions on exports of US high-tech equipment.

 "We are talking about advanced technology that we design and produce," such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing and aviation technology, which "would hit hard (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's strategic ambitions to industrialize his economy," the official told reporters.

 Energy as a weapon

 The US official warned Moscow against using fuel supplies as a "weapon" in the Ukrainian crisis, adding that an "emergency plan" was being drawn up to protect energy supplies to the European Union in light of the current crisis.

 The official stressed that the United States and the Europeans have taken steps to protect gas supplies to Europe in the event that Russia decides to cut them. "We are working with countries and companies around the world to ensure the security of supplies and to avoid any price shocks," as part of an "emergency plan" that includes negotiating with supplies in northern  Africa and Asia.

 He also warned Moscow against using fuel supplies as a "weapon", noting that the matter would not pass "without consequences for the Russian economy."

 Russian concern

 Earlier on Tuesday, the Kremlin expressed concern about escalating tensions over Ukraine and Washington's decision to put 8,500 soldiers on alert.

"The United States is escalating tension," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding: "We are watching these American actions with great concern."

The Pentagon announced on Monday that the force was set up in anticipation of its possible deployment, to reinforce any activation of the NATO Intervention Force in the Ukraine crisis. Russia had amassed 100,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border, raising fears that it was planning to invade its pro-Western neighbor, prompting warnings from Western countries.