US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for about two hours in a video call this Tuesday (7th), in what was expected to be a highly important meeting for the two leaders amidst escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine.
A White House statement on the liaison said Biden “expressed the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces around Ukraine and made it clear that the US and our allies would respond with strong measures, between they are economical, in the case of military escalation.”
He also “reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for a reduction in escalation and a return to diplomacy,” the White House said.
The two presidents tasked their respective teams with following the discussions, with the White House adding that “the US will do so in close coordination with allies and partners.”
In addition to the Ukraine issue, the two leaders discussed “the US-Russia dialogue on strategic stability, a separate dialogue on ransomware, as well as working together on regional issues like Iran,” the White House said.
A White House photograph of the meeting showed that Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, and senior director for Russia and Central Asia Eric Green were seated next to Biden in the Situation Room during the video call.
The meeting started at 120:07 and ended at 14:08 (GMT), according to the White House. The two leaders attended a summit in Geneva last June. The last publicly disclosed call was in July.
Over the past few months, Russia has erected supply lines, including medical units and fuel, that could sustain a protracted conflict if Moscow decides to invade Ukraine, two sources familiar with the latest intelligence assessments told the CNN.
And recent US intelligence findings estimate that Russia could begin a military offensive in Ukraine in a matter of months, as it has accumulated up to 175,000 troops along the border. The US intelligence community also believes that Putin has not yet made up his mind to launch a military offensive against Ukraine.
Later on Tuesday, Biden will speak with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom – the same group of European allies with whom he chatted on Monday night. Tuesday marks Merkel’s last full day in office.
On Monday night, the leaders discussed “their common concern about the swell of the Russian army on Ukraine’s borders and Russia’s increasingly harsh rhetoric,” according to a White House statement.
“The leaders agreed to maintain close contact in a coordinated and comprehensive approach in response to Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders,” the White House said of Monday’s call. On Monday, the Pentagon confirmed it continued to observe “additional military capacity” of Russian forces along the country’s border with Ukraine.
“What we continue to see, and what we continue to see, is an additional capability that President Putin continues to add, an increased military capability in the western part of his country and around Ukraine,” said Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby.
In recent days, US officials have assessed whether they should issue far-reaching sanctions against Russia, aimed at preventing Putin from launching an invasion of Ukraine. They include new actions against members of Putin’s inner circle and Russian energy producers, and a potential “nuclear option” – disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world.
Officials said final decisions had not been taken on whether and when to apply the new sanctions, and said the Biden government is currently in talks with European partners – many of whom have closer economic ties with Russia – in hopes of coordinating the action.
With economic sanctions considerations, the government is also exploring options for a possible evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine if Russia invaded the country and created a dire security situation, sources told CNN.
The contingency planning is being led by the Pentagon, sources said, and comes as the administration informs Congress how the US is preparing.
A top government official said this week that the US is engaged in “intense discussions with our European partners about what we would collectively do in the event of a major Russian military escalation.”
The European Union “continues to fully support Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on Tuesday.
“We will respond to any future aggressions by increasing and expanding existing sanctions,” he added.
The source also said that the European Union is “ready to take additional restrictive measures, in coordination with our partners”.
“The rise of extremism and autocracy can also be a security issue for countries. In that context, we must also talk about Russian military movements and their massive increase along Ukraine’s eastern border,” she continued.
Kevin Liptak, Natasha Bertrand, Ellie Kaufman, Jennifer Hansler, Zahra Ullah, Anna Chernova and Jim Sciutto contributed to this report.
(Text translated, read original in English here)
Reference: CNN Brasil
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