US President Joe Biden has made no “promises” or “concessions” to the demands of his Russian counterpart, who mainly wanted NATO to close its door to Ukraine, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan has assured.
Washington believes that each country should be able to “choose freely” with whom to cooperate, Sullivan said in a press conference he gave after the two-hour video call between Biden and Vladimir Putin.
The White House adviser warned that the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline could be used as a “lever” to prevent a Russian attack on Ukraine. “As far as Nord Stream-2 is concerned, the fact is that there is currently no gas flowing through the pipeline, which means it is not working, which means it is not a pressure lever for Putin. “It’s a lever for the West, because if Vladimir Putin wants to see gas flow through that pipeline, he may not want to take the risk of invading Ukraine.”
Sullivan said the US government did not believe Putin had made a decision on Ukraine. “What Biden did today was to show him clearly the consequences, if he chooses” escalation, “he added. The US president also said that in the event of an invasion, the US and its allies would provide defense assistance to Kiev and respond with “strong financial sanctions”.
Washington will also consider providing assistance to its partners on the Eastern Front in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Biden will speak by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday. Earlier in the day, after talks with Putin, he had contacts with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Britain, “to inform them” and to consult on their next moves.
French President Emmanuel Macron will speak “in the coming days” with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, the Elysee announced tonight.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
.
