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 US official said after the Biden-Putin talks. “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 massed more than 100,000 troops around Ukraine 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 government warned European countries that a Russian attack on Ukraine was “imminent.” That is why France’s head of state, Emmanuel Macron, 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.
The two presidents in Switzerland in the summer.
(Photo: AP)
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.
Hacker Attack Warning
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 regard to “the destruction or paralysis of critical infrastructure”. All organizations must therefore “be particularly vigilant. Now is the time to act.”
Baerbock continues to rely on a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine conflict
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.
Russia and Ukraine: Do not stir up panic
Even if the leaders in Kiev and Moscow are hostile to each other, they agree on one thing: they warn against “alarmism” and “scaremongering” in view of the news from the USA. Moscow speaks of a “propaganda campaign” with absurd scenarios. Washington is spreading intelligence claims without evidence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized that his country has been living with a constant threat from Russia since 2014. On Saturday he once again complained that Western “alarmism” was doing his country more harm than good: “The enemy’s best friend is panic in our country.” In other words: Russia benefits when fear leads to destabilization in Ukraine.
In addition, Washington does not appear to have coordinated its warnings with Kiev. If someone can say something with 100 percent certainty about a Russian attack, they would be grateful for tips, Zelensky said. At a meeting on Friday in Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine – around 30 kilometers from the Russian border – the Security Council decided neither on mobilization nor on a state of emergency, let alone martial law.
Kiev’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Facebook: “The enemy’s published plans are failed plans.” No one should be afraid of that. There is no sign of fear of war in Kiev. In sunny spring weather, street musicians play, people relax in well-stocked cafes.
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