WASHINGTON (Washington Insider Magazine) – On Saturday, President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a day after the United States warned that a Russian attack on Ukraine may start during the Olympics.
For the first time since December 30, the two leaders talked for slightly over an hour, marking their third meeting amid growing tensions over Russia’s army buildup along the Ukraine frontier, where it has gathered over 100,000 troops.
According to a fairly brief White House transcript of the call, Biden warned that if Russia invades Ukraine, the US and its allies “will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia.”
According to the White House, the president also emphasized that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “would produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing.”
Despite the buildup near its border, Russia has consistently denied it has ambitions to invade Ukraine. It has yet to issue a transcript of the conversation between the 2 presidents.
The discussion was not detailed, but a key administration official told reporters that “there was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding now for several weeks.”
The nations will “stay engaged in the days ahead,” according to the official, since military intervention from Russia remains a “distinct possibility.”
The request comes amid continued diplomatic attempts in eastern Europe on Saturday to reduce tensions and prevent war.
According to Russian authorities, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on Saturday at Macron’s request.
Macron obtained personal assurances from Putin, according to French authorities, that he has no plans to invade Ukraine. Macron expressed alarm over Russian naval activities in the Sea of Azov near Ukraine.
Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both talked on Saturday. Blinken raised “acute and shared concerns that Russia may be considering launching further military aggression against Ukraine in the coming days,” during the 35-minute talk, according to US officials. Blinken reiterated that diplomacy is still an option, but that if it isn’t, the consequences will be “resolute, massive, and united.”
According to Russian officials, Lavrov accused the US and its allies of waging a “propaganda” campaign and attempting to “sabotage” diplomatic efforts to end the Russian-stoked violence in eastern Ukraine. A senior State Department official told ABC NEWS, Lavrov denied that Russia intends to attack Ukraine, but he also did not indicate that Russia is willing to deescalate the situation.
The remarks came a day after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told journalists that a Russian invasion of Ukraine might start during the Beijing Winter Olympics, which are set to finish on February 20.
