- US President Joe Biden has threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions if Russia allows the situation on the border with Ukraine to escalate.
- Biden said this to his Russian counterpart in a telephone conversation, news agencies report, citing the Kremlin and the White House.
- The US and its allies would not tolerate an invasion of Ukraine. Putin, on the other hand, said that sanctions against Russia would be a big mistake.
US President Joe Biden has called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions with a view to the Russian troops near the Ukrainian border. This was announced by the White House on Thursday evening (local time) after the two presidents had been on the phone for almost an hour.
«Serious and substantial» conversation
In the event of further military intervention in Ukraine, the US and its allies would be ready to impose harsh economic sanctions on Moscow, said a high-ranking representative of the White House. In such a case, NATO’s presence in its eastern member states would also be expanded. Ukraine could then count on additional aid, also for the armed forces for national defense.
Legend:
The two heads of state last spoke to each other at the beginning of December.
Reuters / Archives
Biden’s talks with Putin were, among other things, about the preparation of a meeting of representatives from both countries in Geneva, scheduled for January 10th. The US hoped Moscow would take the path of de-escalation, the US official said. The tone of the conversation with Putin was “serious and substantial”.
Russia wants to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO
The US has been accusing Russia of massive troop deployment in areas on the border with Ukraine for weeks. It is feared that Russian troops could invade the ex-Soviet republic. Russia rejects alleged plans for an invasion and, in turn, accuses Ukraine of having deployed additional soldiers in the region.
According to the White House, Russia made it clear in advance that it would like a written promise that Ukraine may never join NATO and that the military equipment of the alliance will not be stationed in the former Soviet states. These are demands that the Biden government does not want to comply with.