Biden-Putin talks yield no breakthrough in Ukraine tensions [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By AAMER MADHANI and VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin were still far apart after two hours of talks on the escalating crisis caused by Russia’s massing of tens of thousands of troops near its border with Ukraine.

Biden delivered a simple message during Tuesday’s video call with Putin: invade Ukraine again and face painful sanctions that will do resounding harm to your economy. Putin had his own blunt take, according to his foreign adviser Yuri Ushakov, telling the U.S. president that “the Russian troops are on their own territory, and they don’t threaten anyone.”

With no immediate breakthrough to ease tensions on the Ukraine question, the U.S. emphasized a need for diplomacy and de-escalation, while issuing stern threats to Russia about the high costs of a military incursion.

Biden “told President Putin directly that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with strong economic measures,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. He added that Biden said the U.S. would also “provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainians … and we would fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.”



In this image provided by The White House, President Joe Biden speaks as he meets virtually via a secure video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin from the Situation Room at the White House in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021. At far left is White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan along with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, national security council senior director for Russian and Central Asia, Eric Green. (Adam Schultz/The White House via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-europe-middle-east-russia-ukraine-a010c200fe1d648694ed5b11aa097511