France24
US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will speak Thursday in a latest effort to defuse tensions surrounding Moscow’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine.
It will be the second telephone call in less than a month between the two leaders, with Biden in early December warning Putin of “severe consequences” if Russian troops invaded.
Biden, who is at his home in Delaware for the New Year’s holiday, will stress that Washington is looking for a “diplomatic path” out of the crisis, a senior administration official told reporters.
“But we are also prepared to respond if Russia advances with a further invasion of Ukraine,” Biden will tell Putin, the official said, adding that Washington remained “gravely concerned” about the military build-up and wanted to see the Russian forces return “to their regular training areas.”
The call is scheduled to begin at 3:30 pm (2030 GMT) in Washington, the White House said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the call, saying it would take place Thursday evening Russian time.
US support for Ukraine
Russia has sent tens of thousands of troops to the border with Ukraine, according to Western officials who fear a repeat of 2014, when Moscow seized the Crimean peninsula and a pro-Russia insurgency broke out in eastern Ukraine, leaving more than 13,000 people dead.
In a potential step to defuse tensions, senior US and Russian officials plan to meet on January 10 in Geneva.
The meeting comes after Russia offered proposals to the United States that included calls not to expand NATO eastward or to set up bases in former Soviet republics.
The United States has called some of the Russian positions non-starters but said it is willing to talk and will also bring up its own concerns.
The dialogue was set up when…
