Biden warns Putin of 'consequences' if Russia invades Ukraine
U.S. president made comments in virtual meeting Tuesday; laid out 'alternative path'
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of "consequences" if he were to invade Ukraine, in a virtual meeting on Tuesday according to U.S. security officials.
"What President Biden did today was lay out very clearly, the consequences if [Putin] chooses to move ahead. He also laid out an alternative path," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in a briefing following the meeting.
Beyond the agreement to hold further discussions, there was no sign of any narrowing of positions in Moscow's readout of the conversation, which followed weeks of tension over the massing of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
A Kremlin statement said Putin repeated Moscow's accusation that Ukraine was behaving provocatively and taking a "destructive line" aimed at dismantling agreements from 2014 and 2015 that were designed to end a war with Russian-backed separatists.
The Kremlin said Putin presented Biden with a demand for legally binding security guarantees that would rule out the expansion of NATO. Putin said NATO was bolstering its military potential near Russia's borders and "making dangerous attempts to conquer Ukrainian territory," the Kremlin said in a statement.
Russia still sending tanks, snipers, Ukraine officials say
The two leaders held two hours of talks about Ukraine and other disputes on Tuesday amid Western fears that Moscow is poised to invade its southern neighbour.
Tens of thousands of Russian troops have amassed near the Ukrainian border.
Just hours before Biden and Putin's call got underway, Ukrainian officials charged that Russia was continuing to escalate the crisis by sending tanks and snipers to war-torn eastern Ukraine to "provoke return fire."
The Kremlin hasn't commented on those specific allegations, but it has denied harbouring an intention to attack Ukraine and said the troop posture is defensive.
But Moscow has voiced rising vexation over Western military aid to Ukraine, a fellow former Soviet republic that has tilted toward the West since a popular revolt toppled a pro-Russian president in 2014.
Russia has likewise questioned Ukrainian intentions and said it wants guarantees that Kyiv will not use force to try to retake territory lost in 2014 to Russia-backed separatists, a scenario Ukraine has ruled out.
The U.S. has urged Russia and Ukraine to return to a set of agreements signed in 2014 and 2015 and designed to end a separatist war by Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.
If Russia does invade Ukraine, Biden's administration could seek to bolster NATO's eastern flank by repositioning U.S. troops already in Europe rather than sending in new ones from elsewhere, a U.S. defence official told Reuters on Tuesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, told reporters that the U.S. would fortify NATO allies in places like the Baltic states with additional capabilities to reassure them in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. He also said the United States, which already provides Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles and other equipment, could send additional defensive assistance to Kyiv.
"It's hard to expect any sudden breakthroughs, but the presidents demonstrated their willingness to continue practical work and begin discussing sensitive issues that seriously concern Moscow," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after the talks.
Putin and Biden underlined the need to try to normalize their countries' troubled relations and to continue co-operating on issues of mutual interest such as cyber security, Ushakov said.
Putin had made what he called a radical proposal to nullify all the restrictions on their respective diplomatic missions, something he said could potentially help assuage tensions between Moscow and Washington.
"This could be a way to co-operate in other areas," Ushakov said.
Both countries have limited the number of staff working at their respective embassies in a series of tit-for-tat moves that have made it hard for the U.S. embassy in Moscow in particular.
U.S. considers economic sanctions
U.S. officials said before the video conference that Biden would tell Putin that Russia and its banks could be hit with the toughest economic sanctions yet if it attacks Ukraine.
They said sanctions could target Russia's biggest banks and Moscow's ability to convert roubles into dollars and other currencies.
A separate source familiar with the situation said targeting Putin's inner circle has been discussed, but no decision has been made.
CNN reported sanctions could include the extreme step of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world.
Later on Tuesday, U.S. officials told members of Congress they have an understanding with Germany about shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades Ukraine, a senior congressional aide said.
"If President Putin moves on Ukraine, our expectation is that the pipeline will be suspended," Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland told the Senate foreign relations committee.
German Gref, chief executive of Russia's top bank, Sberbank, on Tuesday called potential sanctions against Russia's biggest banks "nonsense" and said they would be "impossible to execute."
Ahead of his first direct talks with Putin since July, Biden consulted with European allies France, Germany, Italy and Britain on Monday to discuss plans for sanctions and seek a strong allied stance in support of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
They called on Russia to de-escalate tensions and return to diplomacy and said their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO allies and EU partners, on a "co-ordinated and comprehensive approach," the White House said.
International tensions have risen steadily over Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Russia's Defence Ministry said on Friday it had scrambled fighter jets to escort two U.S. military reconnaissance planes over the Black Sea.
With files from The Associated Press