The US President again assured Ukraine of NATO support.
(Photo: dpa)
new York After his phone call with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, US President Joe Biden also exchanged views with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on Sunday. Both heads of state “agreed that it is important to continue to rely on diplomacy and deterrence,” the White House said afterwards. Should Russia attack Ukraine, however, the US would “act swiftly and decisively, along with our allies and partners.”
On Saturday, Biden spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone and warned of the high costs that would come to Russia in the event of an attack. The talks did not bring a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, other government officials emphasized the seriousness of the situation on Sunday. Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser, made it clear on the US news channel CNN that the United States was prepared for an emergency. Russia could attack “practically any time”. “The way they’ve positioned their army suggests that full-scale military action may be imminent,” Sullivan said.
“We’re prepared,” Sullivan said. “We can act immediately and decisively, together with our allies and partners. We will defend NATO territory and it will come at a great cost to Russia.” The US “will ensure that the West is stronger, more determined and more focused than we have been for the past 30 years.”
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby spoke of a “mosaic of intelligence” suggesting the situation was “crescendoing” into an opportunity for Russia to attack, he told Fox News.
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Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Kiev on Monday and to Moscow on Tuesday for talks.
More: “Untie the noose around Ukraine’s neck” – Steinmeier uses his inaugural speech to appeal to Putin