President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for more than an hour on Thursday, despite the White House's denial that the president was pressuring Kyiv to make concessions to Russia to avoid an invasion.
The president's 40-minute conversation to the leaders of nine NATO member countries in Eastern Europe followed the 76-minute call between Biden and Zelensky. The White House did not share readouts of the calls right away.
Biden assures Ukraine's Zelenskiy of US support
Thousands of Russian troops have gathered near Ukraine's borders in what US officials worry is a precursor to an invasion as early as next year. Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours on Tuesday, threatening economic sanctions, but assured reporters on Wednesday that he would not send US soldiers to Ukraine to stop Russian adventurism.
Biden stated on Wednesday that he intends to announce additional high-level meetings on the problem with America's European partners, NY Post reported. Officials from the White House have stated that the US may encourage Ukraine to grant some autonomy to eastern Ukraine regions now ruled by Russia-backed separatists who rebelled against the Kiev government in 2014. Those locations were given an unspecified "special status."
Per Daily Mail, the call comes after weeks of Russian military buildup and Biden's announcement that the US will play a more significant role in attempting to mediate a diplomatic solution to the region's tensions. This includes addressing Ukraine's desire to join NATO, which Putin regards as a red flag.
While Biden and allies have defied Putin's demands that Ukraine be denied NATO membership, senior State Department officials have stated that Ukrainian membership is unlikely to be granted in the next decade.
Biden had a video conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday morning. Economic sanctions, including pressuring Germany's incoming government to abandon its Nord Stream 2 pipeline contract with Russia, as well as sending additional soldiers to NATO partners in the region and providing greater material support to Ukraine, were among the threats, according to the White House.
More US soldiers might be sent to Poland and Romania, according to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan. Biden came to a halt when it came to deploying US soldiers into Ukraine.
Joe Biden warns Russia's Vladimir Putin
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that if Russian President Vladimir Putin invades Kyiv, there would be "serious repercussions," stressing that Washington is planning "strong economic and other measures," as per The Republic World.
Biden expressed concern about the concentration of Russian military troops on the Ukrainian border with reporters just a day after his virtual meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that his administration is drafting a set of initiatives and retaliatory steps that will make it "very, very difficult" for Russia to escalate the conflict.
When asked if he would send US soldiers to defend Ukraine in the face of a Russian military buildup, Biden told reporters that it is not on the table but that the US would provide defensive capabilities to the Ukrainian armed forces to discourage a military invasion.
Meanwhile, in a conference organized this week in response to fears of a Russian invasion of Kyiv, NATO foreign ministers and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Moscow that any attack on Ukrainian territory would be costly and result in retaliation. According to US intelligence, Russia is setting the basis for a large-scale military operation against Ukraine as early as 2022. Putin plans to assault Kyiv on many fronts and has sent an estimated 175,000 troops.
Related Article: Joe Biden-Vladimir Putin Meeting: US Warns Strong Nuclear, Economic Sanctions If Russia Invades Ukraine
