Biden says Putin has warned Reuters of a “high price” on Ukraine

By Jarrett Renshaw

WILMINGTON, Del. (Reuters) – President Joe Biden said on Friday that he had told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that the move on Ukraine would impose sanctions and increase the US presence in Europe, where tensions are high after Russia joined the border.

U.S. and Russian leaders exchanged warnings about Ukraine in a 50-minute call on Thursday to counter Russian military action.

“I made it clear to President Putin that if he moves further, if he goes to Ukraine, we will face severe sanctions. We will increase our presence in Europe, with our NATO allies, and there will be a high price to pay. That,” Biden told reporters at a restaurant in Wilmington, Delaware. on departure.

Biden says Putin has agreed to “three major conferences” next month with senior staff to help find a solution, and said he expects progress from those negotiations. However, he added: “I made it clear that it could only work if de-scaled.”

Asked if Moscow would be punished for keeping troops on the border, Biden said: “I will not negotiate in public here, but we made it clear that he cannot – he cannot emphasize – move to Ukraine.”

Biden will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, a White House official said earlier on Friday.

He will reaffirm support for Ukraine, discuss the creation of a Russian army, and consider preparations for diplomatic efforts to calm the situation in the region, the official said.

The Biden-Putin exchange set the stage for a lower-level scenario between the countries that include the US-Russia security meeting from January 9 to 10, followed by a broader conference on January 12 with a Russia-NATO session, including Moscow. Washington and other European countries on January 13th.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to lay the groundwork for those talks on Friday with calls from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and others, the State Department said.

In talks with Canadian and Italian foreign ministers, Blinken discussed a joint response to prevent further Russian attacks on Ukraine.