Saturday, January 01, 2022
Telephone call about Russian troops
Biden wants to assure Selenskyj support
Russia has been gathering troops on the Ukrainian border for weeks. Kremlin chief Putin warns Joe Biden by phone of an invasion. Now the US president is speaking to the head of state of Ukraine and assures him in advance of support “for the territorial integrity” of the country.
US President Joe Biden wants to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj this Sunday about the deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. In the phone call, Biden will “reaffirm US support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Washington said. The US government will also prepare “upcoming diplomatic efforts” for de-escalation.
Biden had already spoken to Russian President Putin on Thursday about the deployment of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. The West fears that Moscow could attack the neighboring country. The Kremlin has denied any plans to attack, rejects criticism of the troop movements and, in turn, accuses Ukraine and NATO of “provocations”.
In the conversation, the American is said to have threatened the Russian head of state with harsh sanctions. The United States and its allies would respond “resolutely” in the event of an invasion, Biden said to Putin, according to the White House. Russia must “de-escalate” tensions with Ukraine.
Personal meetings in January
Biden also wants to talk to Zelenskyj about the other planned talks between Moscow and Washington, which should help defuse the Ukraine conflict. on Twitter the Ukrainian President wrote that the aim was to agree on common positions “for peace in Ukraine and security in Europe”.
Russian and US diplomats plan to meet in Geneva on January 9th and 10th. The western defense alliance NATO is also planning a meeting with the Russian side on January 12th. The day after, there is to be a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
For weeks, the US has been accusing Russia of a massive deployment of troops in areas on the border with Ukraine. It is feared that Russian troops could invade the former Soviet republic. Moscow denies such plans. In 2014 Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. It also supports separatists loyal to the Kremlin in eastern Ukraine.