(Headline USA) President Joe Biden conferred on Sunday with Ukraine’s leader over the Russian troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, promising that the U.S. and allies will act “decisively” if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Biden and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call came as the U.S. and Western allies prepared for a series of diplomatic meetings to try to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow said could rupture ties with Washington.
“President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Biden has spoken of hitting Russia with enormous sanctions if it moves on Ukraine’s territory, but he said last month that U.S. military action is not on the table.
The Kremlin has demanded that any further expansion of NATO exclude Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. The Russians have also demanded that the military alliance remove offensive weaponry from countries in the region.
The White House has dismissed Russia’s demands on NATO. A key principle of the NATO alliance is that membership is open to any qualifying country and no outsider has membership veto power.
While there’s little prospect that Ukraine would be invited into the alliance anytime soon, the U.S. and its allies won’t rule it out.
Zelenskyy said in a Twitter posting after Sunday’s call that “keeping peace in Europe, preventing further escalation, reforms, deoligarchization were discussed.”
“We appreciate the unwavering support,” Zelenskyy said.
The United States has made little progress in efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions.
Biden told reporters the next day that he warned Putin that his economy would pay a “heavy price” if Russia made further moves against Ukraine.
“I’m not going to negotiate here in public, but we made it clear that he cannot—I emphasize cannot—move on Ukraine,” Biden said.
U.S. intelligence findings indicate Russia has made preparations for a potential invasion in early 2022. White House officials say it remains unclear whether Putin has already made a decision to move forward with military action.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
