(Adds more comments, background)
WASHINGTON, Jan 25 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he would consider taking the rare step of imposing sanctions on Russian President Vladimir Putin directly if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Biden was asked if he would see himself personally sanctioning Putin if he invaded Ukraine.
"Yes," he said. "I would see that."
Biden also said he may move in the nearer term some of the 8,500 U.S. troops who have been put on stand-by, but vowed that no American troops would be deployed to Ukraine itself.
The United States has generally refrained from imposing sanctions on the leaders of foreign countries. Then-President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in 2017 and on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2019.
Biden told reporters he had stressed to Putin that "if he went into Ukraine there would be consequences."
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Howard Goller)
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