Washington US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spent an hour and two minutes on the phone. Biden had reaffirmed the previous position of the USA, as the White House announced after the conversation on Saturday. “Should Russia invade Ukraine, the United States, together with our allies and partners, will respond decisively, at great cost to Russia,” said a spokesman for Biden.
Biden stressed that an invasion of Ukraine “will lead to human suffering,” including Russia’s reputation in the world. The way to diplomatic talks is still open. But the US, in consultation with its allies, is “equally prepared for other scenarios,” the US President clarified. Putin, in turn, criticized the West’s attitude towards Ukraine. The Kremlin complained that efforts to resolve the crisis were at a “dead end”.
“There hasn’t been a significant change in the dynamics that we’ve seen over the past few days,” a government official said after the Biden-Putin call. “But we believe we have presented ideas that reflect our interests and those of our allies.”
The phone call between the two heads of state was put on the agenda at short notice and is part of a broader US diplomatic offensive to prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia has been massing more than 100,000 soldiers around Ukraine for the past week and, according to Western experts, now has the country “in a pincer grip”.
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On Friday, the US CIA and the Biden administration warned European countries that a Russian attack on Ukraine was “imminent.” French President Emmanuel Macron also called Putin on Saturday.
After the conversation with Biden, the White House said on Sunday night that it was still unclear whether Russia was ready to take a diplomatic route. However, a spokesman referred to the “obvious steps that Russia would have taken in full view”. “We must give Russia every opportunity to prevent an action that we believe could end disastrously. There is too much at stake,” the spokesman said.
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According to the state agency TASS, Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said the Kremlin chief had promised to examine Biden’s statements on this. At the same time, it is already clear that Moscow’s key demands will not be met. In the talks with Biden, Putin complained, according to the Kremlin, that Western states were not putting the necessary pressure on Ukraine to fulfill its obligations.
Ushakov said US warnings of a Russian attack on Ukraine were “hysteria”. Nevertheless, the conversation was “fairly balanced and factual”. US government circles said the dynamics of the past few weeks had not fundamentally changed as a result of the phone call.
According to the White House, the two heads of state want to remain in contact in the coming days. Russia could still decide to take a military step, Washington said.
Talks between the foreign ministers were chilly
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a similar statement on Saturday following talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Blinken “made it clear that a diplomatic way out of the crisis remains an option,” said a statement from Washington.
“However, that would require Moscow to de-escalate” and engage in constructive discussions. If Russia continues to choose the “path of aggression,” there will be a “resolute, massive, and united transatlantic response,” Blinken said.
Warning of hacker attacks
On Saturday, the US government also urged US companies to prepare more for hacker attacks from Russia. “Every organization in the United States is at risk of cyber threats that can jeopardize critical services. As we know, the Russians have made cyberattacks a central part of their power projection,” wrote the chief of the US Agency for Cybersecurity and Infrastructure, Jen Easterly, on Twitter on Saturday. This is particularly true with a view to “the destruction or paralysis of critical infrastructure.” All organizations must therefore “be particularly vigilant. Now is the time to act.”
Authorities in the USA have been warning for months that American interference in the Ukraine conflict could lead to retaliation in the form of hacker attacks from Russia. In the worst case, the consequences could be felt internationally. According to the television channel CNN, financial institutions have received briefings classified as secret. Energy companies got an overview of Russia’s cyber capabilities.
Pentagon withdraws trainers from Ukraine
The US Department of Defense, meanwhile, announced it would temporarily withdraw 160 military trainers from Ukraine who were deployed near the Polish border – another sign of Washington’s concern.
On Friday, Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, urged US citizens to leave Ukraine within the next 48 hours. “Now is the time to go,” he said. “We are in a time window in which an invasion could begin at any time.” Germany and other countries are also in the process of withdrawing personnel from the country.
With agency material
More: Federal government calls on German citizens to leave Ukraine