© Reuters. File photo: The Ukrainian flag flies over the city of Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on November 25, 2021. Photo taken with drone on November 25, 2021. REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko
Trevor Hunnicutt
Washington (Reuters)-US President Joe Biden said on Friday that he is developing comprehensive measures to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading Ukraine, and that he will not accept Moscow’s “red line”, so people are increasingly The more worried there is that potential conflicts may break out into war.
A video conference of the two leaders will be held in a few days.
More than 94,000 Russian soldiers assembled near the Ukrainian border https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/large-scale-russian-offensive-possible-january-ukraine-says-2021-12-03 Ukrainian Defense Minister Ole Oleksii Reznikov cited intelligence reports that Moscow may plan a full-scale military offensive by the end of January.
Moscow in turn accused Ukraine and the United States of destabilizing behavior, and hinted that Kiev could prepare to launch its own offensive in eastern Ukraine, which the Ukrainian authorities denied.
“What I’m doing is implementing what I think is the most comprehensive and meaningful series of measures to make it difficult for Mr Putan to move forward and do what people fear he will do,” Biden said, without going into the details.
Later on Friday, Biden told reporters when he went to Camp David for the weekend: “We have known Russia’s actions for a long time, and I expect we will have a long discussion with Putin.”
“I don’t accept anyone’s red line,” he said of Russia’s request.
US and Ukrainian officials once again warned this week that they are considering severe economic sanctions against Russia.
“Since this administration took office, we have proven that the United States and our allies are prepared to use multiple tools to combat Russia’s evil actions,” said a senior US official who asked not to be named when questioning the Biden plan. . Expand. “We will use these and other tools without hesitation in the future.”
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at a press conference that it is considering security assistance to Ukraine.
BIDEN-POUTINE phone
The tensions in Ukraine have become the backdrop for the first calls in months by the Presidents of the United States and Russia as early as next week. After Putin had his last conversation with Biden in July, officials negotiated the terms of the appeal.
The Kremlin said on Friday that Russia and the United States have a tentative date and time for a video summit in the next few days, but Moscow is waiting for Washington to finalize it. The White House only stated that it is “participating” in possible appeal negotiations.
Biden imposed sanctions on Russia in April https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-imposes-wide-array-sanctions-russia-malign-actions-2021-04-15 more. But Washington hopes that when relations between the two countries are at their lowest level since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, continued direct contact will lower the temperature.
“We hope to maintain open channels of communication with Russians,” said a senior State Department official who asked not to be named. “Especially in times of stress, it is very important that we have these channels of dialogue.”
A meeting between low-level officials on Thursday provided a glimpse of what the Biden-Putin call might look like.
In Stockholm on Thursday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/blinken-urges-russias-lavrov-take-diplomatic-exit-ukraine-crisis-2021-12-02 foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that if Moscow escalated the conflict, there would be a “high price”, and Biden seemed ready to repeat this message.
Brinken said at the next meeting of Reuters on Friday that Biden will inform Putin that the country is “resolved, not as a threat, but only as a fact, to resolutely oppose any reckless or aggressive actions that Russia may take, and to defend the territory. . A complete, sovereign, and independent Ukraine.”
At the same time, Russian officials stated that Putin will advocate that the West provide legally binding security guarantees, that is, NATO will not accept Ukraine as a member of a military alliance, nor will it deploy missile systems there to target Russia.
As with previous talks, including a face-to-face meeting in Geneva in June, other possible issues include cyber security, weapons issues, Afghanistan, Iran, Libya and Syria.