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Don’t invade Ukraine, Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin
In a video call with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden also reiterated US support of his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, according to a readout issued by the White House.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned President Vladimir Putin that the United States and its allies will respond with “strong economic and other measures” if he invaded neighbouring Ukraine, which has seemed imminent because of the amassing of Russian troops along the border.
In a video call with the Russian leader, Biden also reiterated US support of his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy, according to a readout issued by the White House.
The two leaders also discussed the US-Russia dialogue on Strategic Stability, a separate dialogue on ransomware, as well as joint work on regional issues such as Iran.
The United States and allies have watched with concern as Russia has deployed close to 100,000 troops to the border with Ukraine and fear a repeat of 2014 when Russia had snatched Crimea from Ukraine after a similar military build-up.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters on Monday that the US president will “raise these concerns” and he will also make clear that there “will be very real costs should Russia choose to proceed”.
The United States and allies have discussed crippling financial sanctions as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We have had intensive discussions with our European partners about what we would do collectively in the event of a major Russian military escalation in Ukraine. And we believe that we have a path forward that would involve substantial economic countermeasures by both the Europeans and the United States that would impose significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy, should they choose to proceed”.
Joe Biden held discussions with counterparts from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom ahead of the call with Vladimir Putin to present a joint front. The leaders underscored their support for the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine and called upon Putin to de-escalate tensions and pursue diplomacy, according to a White House readout of the discussions.
The United States has shared intelligence about Russian military movements along the border with allies, a senior Biden administration official confirmed to reporters while previewing the call.
The official did not go into details but said “we have seen the movement of additional capabilities and forces to the vicinity of Ukraine in multiple different areas. And these movements are consistent with the planning that we see underway for a military escalation in Ukraine”.
Asked if the US could consider deploying troops to defend Ukraine, the official refused to discuss “the particular sensitive challenges” that Joe Biden will lay out for Vladimir Putin but said, “the United States is not seeking to end up in a circumstance in which the focus of our countermeasures is the direct use of American military force, as opposed to a combination of support for the Ukrainian military, strong economic countermeasures, and the substantial increase in support and capability to our Nato allies to ensure that they remain safe”.
But in the event of an invasion, the US respond positively to request for additional forces from NATO’s Eastern Flank countries - Romania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria - who will be worried about Russian intentions, as in 2014.
“In the event of an invasion, the need to reinforce the confidence and reassurance of our Nato allies and our Eastern Flank allies would be real, and the United States would be prepared to provide that kind of reassurance,” the official said.
