President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not mince words Thursday during a 50-minute phone call that focused on ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine over Moscow’s military buildup on the border of the two countries.
Biden “urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine. He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
By contrast, a Kremlin spokesman told Russian state-owned news outlet Sputnik that Putin told Biden that “Russia needs legally binding agreements on security guarantees,” apparently a reference to Putin’s demand that NATO say it won’t accept Ukraine as a member.
Putin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Russia was satisfied with the call, but warned that US sanctions against Russia would be “a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences,” according to the Associated Press.
The Russian leader requested the call ahead of a Jan. 10 meeting in Geneva between US and Russian diplomats to discuss Putin’s deployment of up to 175,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders.
Biden recently indicated a willingness to assuage Putin — sparking concern in Eastern Europe that Putin may have strategically created a crisis to gain concessions.
Ukraine is not currently a member of NATO and Biden has not taken a firm position on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to join the military alliance.
Biden said this month that he won’t send US troops to Ukraine to deter Russia, but he would impose harsh economic sanctions in response to an invasion.
When Biden was vice president in 2014, Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine following a disputed referendum. The important port and resort region was considered part of Russia within the Soviet Union prior to 1954.
Biden met virtually with Putin this month and warned him that the US and its European allies would take “strong economic measures” if Russia attacked Ukraine.
Putin and Biden are not expected to attend next month’s talks in Geneva.
Putin’s government is accused of propping up a pair of pro-Russia breakaway states in eastern Ukraine’s coal-rich Donbas region and the Russian leader claimed last week that Ukraine is preparing for military action against the rebels.
“There is an impression that, maybe, they are preparing for the third military operation [in Ukraine] and give us a fair warning: do not intervene, do not protect these people but if you do intervene and protect them, there will be new sanctions,” Putin said. “Perhaps, we should prepare for that.”
Putin has also pressed the US and NATO to promise that they will not deploy troops or send missile systems to Ukraine, and he’s complained about NATO’s eastward expansion to include countries once under Russian and Soviet influence.
A senior Biden administration official said Wednesday that Biden would seek to defuse tensions in his call with Putin.
Biden will “make clear when he speaks with President Putin that we are prepared for diplomacy and for a diplomatic path forward,” the official said. “But we are also prepared to respond if Russia advances with a further invasion of Ukraine.”
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