The costs would turn out to be very high, “should Russia decide in favor of such an approach,” said a US government official. Putin would then have to reckon with “considerable economic countermeasures by both the Europeans and the United States”.
“To be clear: we don’t know whether President Putin has made a decision about another military escalation in Ukraine. But we know that he will provide the capacities for such an escalation should he decide to do so, “said the US government representative.
The US accuses Russia of deploying troops not far from the border with Ukraine. Moscow rejects accusations of aggression and accuses Ukraine of having deployed more than 120,000 soldiers on the line to the pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
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The US broadcaster CNN reported that Washington is considering sanctions against Putin’s environment and the Russian energy sector. According to the report, a possible “nuclear option” would be the exclusion of Russia from the international bank payment system Swift.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the aim was “to convey through diplomatic channels that this is the right moment for Russia to reduce its military build-up on the border (with Ukraine)”. At the same time, the USA agreed on sanctions with transatlantic partners if Putin does not give in.
Biden consulted with European allies
Before the video summit with Putin, Biden conferred with European allies: with Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi. The heads of state and government had expressed their common concern about “the Russian military armament on the border with Ukraine and the increasingly harsh rhetoric of Russia,” said the White House on Monday evening (local time) after the switch.
They called on Moscow to de-escalate and stressed that diplomacy was the only way to resolve the conflict. After the news, the British government announced that the five heads of state and government had agreed to exchange ideas again after Biden’s conversation with Putin.
Shortly before Biden’s switch with Putin, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke again on Monday by telephone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj. The US State Department announced on Monday evening (local time) that Blinken had reaffirmed the USA’s unwavering support for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine “in the face of Russian aggression”. According to information from the White House, Biden wants to speak to Zelenskyi in the coming days.
On Monday evening, the chiefs of general staff of the 30 NATO countries held a special meeting on the Russian troop movements not far from the Ukrainian border. According to information from the German Press Agency, the talks in the Alliance’s military committee were, among other things, about US information that Russia had made preparations for an attack on Ukraine.
Details of the talks conducted via video conference have not been published by NATO. A press release only said that the exchange was aimed at gaining a common understanding of the situation in order to strengthen the deterrent and defense system of the alliance. In addition, the aim was to promote transparency between the alliance partners and to coordinate ongoing activities.
Putin also wants to talk about security guarantees
Putin also wants to talk to Biden about mutual security guarantees at the summit, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency. Putin recently called on NATO to end its eastward expansion and demanded written guarantees for this. In return, Russia is ready to give the Western military alliance security.
Russia sees itself threatened by an advance of NATO and wants, for example, to prevent the neighboring ex-Soviet republics of Ukraine and Georgia from joining the alliance. “The security guarantees cannot be one-sided, that is obvious,” said Peskow.
According to the Kremlin, the video summit of Biden and Putin begins around 4 p.m. CET and should last into the evening German time. Putin and Biden want to speak once again about the negotiations that have been going on for months on a new nuclear disarmament initiative by the two largest nuclear powers.
In addition, it should be about cybersecurity, the Iranian nuclear program and other international conflicts. As heads of state, the two first met in person in Geneva in June.
More: Europe must make clear statements to Putin on the Ukraine question