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Russia
WorldRussia & Central Asia

Joe Biden warns Vladimir Putin of ‘serious costs’ of continued military build-up on Ukraine border

  • In phone call, the US leader ‘made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine’
  • Putin gives ‘no declarations’ as to his intentions, says a Biden administration official

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US President Joe Biden during his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, which was conducted at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: White House
Owen Churchill
US President Joe Biden urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine or else face “serious costs” during a phone call on Thursday, as the US and allies seek to coordinate their response to Moscow’s military build-up on the border with its western neighbour.
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Biden “made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said of the call, which lasted around an hour.

Such a response from the US would include economic sanctions, an increase of Nato forces in allied countries in the region and an augmentation of US assistance to Ukraine “to enable it to further defend itself and its territory”, a senior administration official said, reiterating Washington’s previous warnings.

While that official described the call as “serious and substantive”, there were no indications that the conversation resulted in any breakthroughs in terms of negotiations over Russia’s actions. Putin also gave “no declarations” as to his intentions regarding the stand-off, said the administration official. Instead, the official characterised the purpose of the call primarily as an opportunity to set the “tone and tenor” of further bilateral talks scheduled to take place next month in Geneva.

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Biden warns Putin of strong economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine

Biden warns Putin of strong economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine
Biden and Putin discussed the “importance of pragmatic, results-oriented diplomacy,” even as they agreed that there were areas in which “agreements may be impossible”, said the official, speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.
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That sentiment echoed a New Year’s greeting Putin sent to Biden before the call, in which the Russian said he was confident that the two countries could establish an effective dialogue “based on mutual respect and consideration for each other’s national interests”.

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