Psaki says 'endgame' in Ukraine is up to Putin

As the invasion of Ukraine drags on, members of the media on Monday are beginning to ask what exactly is left in terms of retaliation for President Joe Biden and the US to do when it comes to punishing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I'm trying to understand your endgame in Ukraine. You are not going there; you are not sending troops there. There would be no no-fly zone over Ukraine … Would it be a fair assessment to say you are pushing these guys to commit suicide? Knowing that Russia as a superpower will eventually capture the main cities … What's the endgame?" a reporter asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

In response, Psaki at the White House press briefing spotlighted the response by the United States and other countries internationally as to the impact of the sanctions and punishments unleashed against Russia and Putin's actions.

"Well the endgame is really a question for President Putin. We have completely crushed his economy; we have provided military assistance, humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainians. Enabling them to fight back for far longer than the Russian leadership anticipated. And again, he has determined what the path forward looks like for him," Psaki responded to the series of questions.

In that regard, as Lt. Gen. Kellogg told Mark Levin of Fox News, that the outstanding problem of the Biden administration is not having the "fortitude" to make tough decisions. Kellogg is simultaneously confident in Putin's hubris but also concerned how the United States has perceptively taken a backseat on the world stage when it comes to responding to the ongoing conflict.

At the time of Monday's briefing it was unclear as to whether or not Biden would commit to traveling to Europe within the coming weeks.

But NBC News earlier reported on Monday that such talks were happening.

The question comes as reporters at the White House press conference asked Psaki what more the US could potentially do further to retaliate against the Kremlin for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Again, the press secretary refused to elaborate on the further sanctions left on the table. But here's what the Deputy Secretary of the US Secretary told a CNBC senior White House reporter, hours earlier:

"A full trade embargo, and blocking Russia's access to international waterways -- are still on the table, as are prohibitions on nickel/uranium/titanium and Russian entities' crypto assets," the CNBC correspondent said of the actions.

In an earlier response to a question about the strength of sanctions already, the White House press secretary acknowledged to James Rosen of Newsmax that no one in the Biden administration thought the sanctions would be "100 percent effective" in stopping Putin from invading Ukraine in the first place.

A follow-up question had Psaki stating that Biden traded "strategic ambiguity" from Russia's perspective in favor of being "clear" with the American people that they'd not send boots-on-the-ground to embattled Ukraine.

It's along that same line of thinking that Psaki responded with pessimism to any fruitful results from further negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Here's what she told Phil Mattingly of CNN:

But the variables of the situation might further change as CNN reports on China having "expressed some openness" with helping Russia in terms of military manpower and finances when it comes to their war on Ukraine.

Earlier on Monday, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan is said to have had a seven-hour long meeting with Chinese officials today in Rome.