Amid rising tensions around Ukraine, the presidents of the United States, Joe Biden, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, spoke by video call this Thursday (30) and warned of a possible break in the relationship between the two countries in as a result of the escalation of tempers in Eastern Europe.
The US and Russia are experiencing one of the most tense moments in recent history after Kiev and Washington accused Moscow of planning an attack on Ukraine after deploying tens of thousands of soldiers near the former Soviet republic’s border
In the 50-minute call, Biden “made it clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia moves forward with its invasion of Ukraine,” the White House said in a statement.
Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 in response to a pro-Western revolution that toppled a Kremlin-aligned president. Russians are also accused of supporting Ukrainian separatists fighting the Kiev government in the east of the country.
Biden has again threatened Russia with economic sanctions in the event of an attack, what Putin called “a colossal mistake”.
“Our president responded immediately [à ameaça] that if the West decides, in this or other circumstances, to impose these unprecedented sanctions that were mentioned then, it could lead to a total disruption of the ties between our countries and cause the most serious damage to relations between Russia and the West”, said Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov.
Despite tensions on both sides, Ushakov told reporters that the Kremlin was satisfied with the conversation and that the two leaders appeared ready to move forward diplomatically.
Moscow denies that it is preparing an invasion of Ukraine, despite the military movement at the border. “This is not our choice [preferida], we don’t want that,” Putin said last week. Russia claims it has the right to move its troops as it wishes on its territory.
The Kremlin, however, does not rule out a military response if NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), which Ukraine wants to join, persists with its eastward expansion. The Russian president has threatened to adopt “military and technical” measures if his demands are not met.
Putin wants guarantees of security in Eastern Europe from the West, which was mentioned in the phone call on Thursday. According to the Kremlin, Biden agreed that Moscow needed such guarantees to advance negotiations, even if there were still differences between the two countries.
Tensions with Kiev brought East-West relations to their worst point in the three decades since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The US, the European Union and the G7 have warned Putin that he will face serious consequences, including tough economic sanctions, should any further Russian aggression occur.
Amidst the conflict, the two leaders announced that they would meet face-to-face on January 10 in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting this Thursday, according to the two governments, served to “set the tone” for talks next month. A US National Security Council source said the talks would be followed by a meeting between Russia and NATO on 12 January. A day later, a broader meeting should take place, including Moscow, Washington and European countries.
An American report said Russia would start pulling 10,000 troops from the border, but US officials said they had little evidence of the retreat, which continued concerns on the part of the Biden government, a senior administration official told Reuters news agency .
According to the report, granted with anonymity, the US is in a moment of crisis that requires a high level of engagement to find a way to decelerate tensions.
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