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President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin faced off in a secure video call Tuesday for more than two hours, as the US president warned Moscow that an invasion of Ukraine would result in sanctions and severe economic damage.
The highly anticipated call between the two presidents occurred amid mounting concerns among the US and Western allies about Russia’s threat to its neighbour, with tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on the Ukrainian border.
Putin, for one, came to the summit hoping to get assurances from Biden that the NATO military alliance will never expand to include Ukraine, which has been seeking membership for some time. That plea was dismissed by the Americans and their NATO allies.
As the US highlighted the need for diplomacy and de-escalation, and issued severe threats to Russia on the repercussions of an invasion, there appeared to be no immediate breakthroughs to relieve tensions on the Ukraine issue.
After the call, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated Biden “specifically informed President Putin that if Russia continues to attack Ukraine, the US and our European allies will respond with tough economic measures.”
In reaction to such an escalation, Biden stated that the US would “give additional defensive equipment to the Ukrainians… and bolster our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities.”
According to the adviser, this may include more US troops being deployed to NATO’s eastern European partners.
Victoria Nuland, a prominent US diplomat, said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would also threaten a contentious pipeline between Russia and Germany. “Our anticipation is that the pipeline will be suspended,” she said Tuesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
During a conference call with reporters, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, downplayed the possibility of sanctions.
“While the president of the United States talked about possible penalties, our president focused on what Russia requires,” Ushakov said. “Sanctions aren’t new; they’ve been around for a long time and have had no effect.”
The presidents’ video chat, he said, was “frank and businesslike,” with some humour thrown in.
The two leaders exchanged pleasant greetings in a brief clip carried by Russia’s national media.
“I greet you, Mr. President,” Putin said, a Russian flag behind him and a Video monitor in front of him showing Biden. “It’s wonderful to see you!” A chuckle followed from Biden’s reply. “I hope next time we meet to do it in person,” he said, referring to Putin’s absence from the recent Group of 20 summit in Rome, which he attended via video connection due to worries over COVID-19.
Ukraine got increasingly concerned about the tens of thousands of Russian troops stationed near its border while the US and Russian presidents conferred. Russian officials said they sent tanks and snipers to war-torn eastern Ukraine to “provoke return fire” and create a pretext for an invasion.
According to the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin also advocated lifting all mutual restrictions on diplomatic missions and assisting in the normalisation of other aspects of bilateral ties. The leaders, according to Sullivan, will direct their staffs to continue the talks.
When Russian troops marched into Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula, and took the land from Ukraine in 2014, Biden was vice president. As Biden considers the smouldering current issue, aides believe the Crimea experience looms large as one of President Barack Obama’s darker moments on the world scene.
“Vladimir Putin looks at our sad surrender in Afghanistan, leaving behind dead Soldiers, American civilians, and $85 billion in Military equipment,” Trump said in a statement, referring to Trump’s extraordinary deference to Putin throughout his presidency. After then, he turns to face Biden. He doesn’t seem concerned.”
Biden met with the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, and Italy on Monday to discuss messaging and potential sanctions ahead of Putin’s call. Following his call, he spoke with them again to give them an update on the situation. On Thursday, Biden is scheduled to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Analysts agree that Putin appears to view the current scenario as an opportunity to rebalance the power dynamic between the US and Russia.
Aside from Ukraine, there are a slew of other difficult issues to address, such as cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to the call, Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, said ties between the US and Russia are in “a very grave position.”
“Russia has never intended to attack anyone,” claimed Peskov. He described the Biden-Putin phone talk as a “working conversation during a really tough era” in Europe, where “tensions are off the scale, tremendous.”
