US President Joe Biden told his counterpart Vladimir Putin that the West is concerned about the possibility of Russia invading Ukraine and warned of “strong economic and other measures” as punishment if Moscow starts a military conflict, the White House reported. .
The two leaders held two hours of talks on Ukraine and other disputes in a video call on US-Russian relations, which have sunk to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War.
The Kremlin, which before the meeting said it did not expect any progress in the talks, has denied harboring intentions to invade Ukraine and has said its troop stance is defensive.
Biden expressed the “Deep concern of the United States and our European allies about the escalation of Russian forces surrounding Ukraine“, Noted the White House, and”made it clear that the United States and our allies would respond with economic and other measures in the event of a military escalation”.
Biden reiterated Washington’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, the White House said, and called for de-escalation and the use of diplomatic channels.
Russian television footage showed Biden and Putin greeting each other in a friendly manner at the start of the virtual summit. The leaders spoke for nearly two hours, according to the White House.
Both sides say they hope the two leaders can hold a summit in person to discuss ties between the two nations, which have long-standing differences over Syria, Washington’s economic sanctions and alleged Russian cyberattacks against American companies.
The Russian government issued a terse statement after the call in which it maintained that “the conversations between Vladimir Putin and the president of the United States, Joseph Biden, were carried out by videoconference ”.
US officials said before the meeting that the sanctions, which one source argued could target Russia’s largest banks and Moscow’s ability to convert rubles into dollars and other currencies, were designed to dissuade Putin from using troops concentrated near it. the border with Ukraine to attack its southern neighbor.
Moscow has expressed its growing distaste for Western military aid to Ukraine and said it wants assurances that Kiev will not use force to try to regain territory lost in 2014 to Russian-backed separatists, a scenario its neighbor has ruled out.
“We look for good and predictable relations with the United States. Russia never intended to attack anyone, but we have our concerns and our red lines“Said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Ukraine and the NATO powers accuse Russia of amassing troops near the border between the two countries, fueling fears of a possible attack. Moscow denies any such plan and accuses Kiev of reinforcing its own forces in the east of the country, where Russian-backed separatists control much of the Ukrainian territory.
Putin has said he wants legally binding guarantees that NATO will not expand further east and a commitment that certain types of weapons will not be deployed in countries close to Russia, including Ukraine.
Before the talks, Biden consulted his European allies on Monday to discuss possible sanctions against Russia and seek a strong common position in support of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. They all called on Russia to ease tensions and return to diplomatic channels, adding that their teams will remain in close contact.
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