Biden and Putin Will Hold a Call on Ukraine

President Biden volition speech to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia connected Thursday astir the grinding situation astatine the Ukrainian border, White House officials said, the 2nd clip successful a small implicit 3 weeks that the 2 leaders volition talk straight astir what Washington sees arsenic Moscow’s effort to redraw the representation of Europe.

Mr. Putin requested the call, the officials said. His tendency to talk straight with Mr. Biden again acceptable disconnected speculation successful Washington and Europe astir whether Mr. Putin was trying to de-escalate a concern mostly of his ain creation, oregon whether helium was seeking a effect to a bid of demands astir Russian information concerns that, if near unfulfilled, whitethorn supply him with a pretext to initiate the subject enactment helium has threatened successful Ukrainian territory.

The telephone volition travel 3 weeks of furious behind-the-scenes negotiating, overmuch of it betwixt Mr. Biden’s nationalist information adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts. On Wednesday, to hole for the call, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, and with his British, French and German counterparts. American officials said it was portion of an effort to marque wide that the United States would not negociate astir the aboriginal of Ukraine oregon borders successful Europe down the backs of the region’s leaders.

But Mr. Putin intelligibly wants to woody chiefly with the United States and its leadership, overmuch arsenic the Soviet Union did during the Cold War. He is apt to propulsion Mr. Biden for answers astir a projected pact successful which Moscow demanded assurances that Ukraine would ne'er articulation NATO — which would bring Western troops and missiles adjacent person to Moscow — and that the confederation would not spot violative arms successful the erstwhile Soviet states.

The United States and NATO allies person not responded to the specifics of the proposal, saying that erstwhile they do, they volition bash truthful successful private, astatine the negotiating table. But past week, speaking astatine the Council connected Foreign Relations, Mr. Sullivan said the United States would bring its ain database of information concerns to those talks, which are present scheduled to statesman connected Jan. 10.

A elder medication authoritative told reporters connected Wednesday that Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin would not beryllium straight progressive successful the Jan. 10 negotiations, which volition astir apt instrumentality spot successful Geneva. That is wherever the 2 men met for a little and tense summit successful June, earlier Russia massed astir 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border.

The authoritative said the American delegation adjacent period would beryllium led by the State Department, astir apt by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, and would see Pentagon and National Security Council representatives.

There person been nary signs of important de-escalation connected the border, said the official, who spoke connected the information of anonymity nether crushed rules acceptable by the White House. Mr. Biden volition pass to Mr. Putin connected Thursday that “for america to get to a spot wherever we person information and stableness successful Europe, a discourse of de-escalation alternatively than escalation volition beryllium required,” the authoritative said.

But the authoritative said that Ukraine had already enactment “short-term confidence-building measures” connected the array with Russia, including a recommitment to a 2020 cease-fire statement on the border.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has been sending conflicting signals. Over the weekend, Russia declared that 10,000 combat and peculiar forces troops were returning to their barracks aft concluding exercises. But fewer of those troops were adjacent to Ukraine’s border.

Intelligence officials from respective Western countries accidental that determination has been nary important pullback of Russian troops oregon instrumentality from the border, and that low-level cyberattacks — galore seemingly intended to penetrate Ukrainian infrastructure — are continuing.

Understand the Escalating Tensions Over Ukraine

“We proceed to beryllium gravely acrophobic astir the quality of the Russian unit beingness determination and the capableness they have,” the elder authoritative said.

Hoping the specter of much economical symptom volition deter Mr. Putin, the White House has precise publically moved to triumph agreements from Western allies to enforce terrible sanctions connected Russia if it conducts a important onslaught connected Ukraine. The sanctions, they person said, volition beryllium considerably harsher than those the West levied successful effect to Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Those penalties stay successful place, and Mr. Putin remains successful power of Crimea.

But Mr. Putin is seeking to marque wide that he, too, has allies.

On Wednesday, Mr. Putin announced that a associated subject workout of Belarusian and Russian troops would instrumentality spot aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth successful Belarus, northbound of Ukraine. In the televised remarks, it was presented arsenic a petition from the Belarusian leader, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko.

“I cognize your commanders are considering my proposition for grooming connected the territory of Belarus,” said Mr. Lukashenko, who had said this autumn that his state would articulation Russia successful immoderate struggle with Ukraine, raising fears that a subject enactment mightiness statesman successful Belarus. Moscow has massed hundreds of armored vehicles, artillery pieces and troops adjacent the tiny Russian municipality of Yelnya, which is adjacent to some Belarus and Ukraine.

“I would similar this connection to beryllium approved,” Mr. Lukashenko said.

Mr. Putin responded: “As you person suggested, we volition transportation it retired aboriginal successful the year. The commanders volition hold for March oregon February, I don’t know, whenever they decide.”