Biden says Ukraine will respond “decisively” if Russia invades Politics News

The US president has pledged in a call with his Ukrainian counterpart that the gathering of Russian troops has sparked tensions.

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday reassured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyi Washington and his allies that they will “respond decisively” if Russia invades a pro-Western neighbor, the White House said in a statement.

The two men talked on the phone in the days leading up to Biden’s reunion second interview in a month with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid tensions on Russia’s border with Ukraine, where Russia has deployed about 100,000 troops.

“President Biden has made it clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia invades Ukraine further,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the call.

Biden and Zelenskyy discussed preparations for a forthcoming diplomatic meeting to deal with the crisis, according to the White House.

Zelenskyy then tweeted that he thanked the US for its “continued support” and that the call “proves the special nature” of the relationship between the two countries.

U.S. and Russian high-ranking officials are due to sit in Geneva on Jan. 9 and 10 to discuss the crisis. Russia-NATO Council talks and a meeting of the European Security and Cooperation Organization (OSCE) should also be held.

Biden told Putin that it was important for the Russians to take steps to alleviate the crisis before these meetings.

Speaking about Putin’s call on Friday, Biden said: “I will not negotiate here in public, but we made it clear that he cannot – I will emphasize, he cannot – invade Ukraine.”

He told reporters during a holiday in Delaware that “it is clear to President Putin that we will face severe sanctions, that we will increase our presence in Europe with NATO allies” if Russia invades Ukraine.

Putin’s foreign affairs adviser told reporters last week that Putin had warned Biden that seeking sanctions “could lead to a complete rupture in relations.” outside [PLEASE CHECK] relations between the country and Russia-West will be severely damaged. “

Russia has accused Ukraine of taking over the Crimean region in 2014 and is promoting it Separatist war on Russia in the east of the country, which exploded that same year.

Kremlin officials have stressed that they want any guarantees Future expansion of NATO He must exclude Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, and the military alliance has also called for the removal of weapons of attack from countries in the region.