Biden-Putin talks yield no breakthrough in Ukraine tensions

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WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin were inactive acold isolated aft two hours of talks connected the escalating crisis caused by Russia’s massing of tens of thousands of troops adjacent its borderline with Ukraine.

Biden delivered a elemental connection during Tuesday’s video telephone with Putin: invade Ukraine again and look achy sanctions that volition bash resounding harm to your economy. Putin had his ain blunt take, according to his overseas advisor Yuri Ushakov, telling the U.S. president that “the Russian troops are connected their ain territory, and they don’t endanger anyone.”

With nary contiguous breakthrough to easiness tensions connected the Ukraine question, the U.S. emphasized a request for diplomacy and de-escalation, portion issuing stern threats to Russia astir the precocious costs of a subject incursion.

Biden “told President Putin straight that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with beardown economical measures,” U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. He added that Biden said the U.S. would besides “provide further antiaircraft worldly to the Ukrainians … and we would fortify our NATO allies connected the eastbound flank with further capabilities successful effect to specified an escalation.”

White House officials made wide that Biden is not funny successful putting U.S. troops successful harm’s mode defending Ukraine. But Sullivan added that imaginable efforts to bolster determination allies could pb to further deployments of U.S. troops to eastbound European NATO allies.

A apical U.S. envoy, Victoria Nuland, said a Russian penetration of Ukraine would besides jeopardize a arguable pipeline betwixt Russia and Germany known arsenic Nord Stream 2. She told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee connected Tuesday that if Russia invaded, “our anticipation is that the pipeline volition beryllium suspended.”

Ushakov dismissed the sanctions menace during his ain comments to reporters pursuing the leaders’ meeting.

“While the U.S. president talked astir imaginable sanctions, our president emphasized what Russia needs,” Ushakov said. “Sanctions aren’t thing new, they person been successful spot for a agelong clip and volition not person immoderate effect.”

He described the presidents’ video league arsenic “candid and businesslike,” adding that they besides exchanged occasional jokes.

The 2 leaders met connected the 80th day of the Japanese onslaught connected Pearl Harbor, a defining infinitesimal that led to the U.S. introduction successful World War II. They commiserated astir the outgo of that struggle to their ain families, Ushakov noted. Hours earlier the high-stakes call, Biden and archetypal woman Jill Biden visited a warfare memorial successful Washington to commemorate the solemn anniversary.

In a little snippet of the commencement of their gathering broadcasted by Russian authorities television, the 2 leaders offered affable greetings to each other.

“I invited you, Mr. President,” Putin said, speaking with a Russian emblem down him and a video show showing Biden successful beforehand of him.

At the White House, Sullivan called it “a utile meeting,” allowing Biden to laic retired successful candid presumption wherever America stands.

But arsenic the U.S. and Russian presidents conferred, Ukraine grew lone much anxious astir the tens of thousands of Russian troops that person been deployed adjacent its border.

Ukrainian officials said Russia had further escalated the situation by sending tanks and snipers to war-torn eastbound Ukraine to “provoke instrumentality fire” and laic a pretext for a imaginable invasion.

U.S. quality officials person not been capable to independently verify that accusation, according to an medication authoritative who spoke connected the information of anonymity to sermon the delicate matter.

But the authoritative said that the White House has straight raised concerns with the Russians astir “resorting to their aged playbook” by trying to provoke the Ukrainians.

Putin entered the telephone looking for guarantees from Biden that an enlargement of the NATO subject confederation would ne'er see Ukraine, a request that was a non-starter for the U.S. and its NATO allies.

The Kremlin, successful a post-call statement, said NATO had been “making unsafe attempts to grow its beingness connected the Ukrainian territory and has been expanding its subject imaginable adjacent Russian borders.”

On different matter, Putin projected to assistance each communal restrictions connected diplomatic missions and assistance normalize different aspects of bilateral relations, according to the Kremlin. Sullivan said the leaders would nonstop their unit to proceed negotiations connected that.

The leader-to-leader speech — Biden speaking from the White House Situation Room, Putin from his residence successful Sochi — was 1 of the astir important of Biden’s presidency and came astatine a perilous time.

U.S. quality officials person determined that Russia has moved 70,000 troops adjacent the Ukraine borderline and has made preparations for a imaginable penetration aboriginal adjacent year.

Sullivan said the U.S. believes that Putin has not yet made a last determination to invade. Biden was vice president successful 2014 erstwhile Russian troops strode into the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and annexed the territory from Ukraine.

Aides accidental the Crimea occurrence — 1 of the darker moments for then-President Barack Obama connected the planetary signifier — looms ample arsenic Biden looks astatine the smoldering existent crisis.

Biden’s Republican opponents successful Washington are framing this infinitesimal arsenic a cardinal trial of the president’s leadership connected the planetary stage. Biden vowed arsenic a campaigner to reassert American enactment aft President Donald Trump’s accent connected an “America First” overseas policy.

“I volition look you successful the oculus and archer you arsenic President Biden looked President Putin successful the oculus and told him contiguous that things we did not bash successful 2014, we are prepared to bash now,” Sullivan told reporters aft the leaders’ video call.

Republicans person charged that Biden has been ineffective successful slowing Iran’s march toward becoming a atomic powerfulness and has done excessively small to antagonistic autocratic leaders including China’s Xi Jinping and Putin.

“Fellow authoritarians successful Beijing and Tehran volition beryllium watching however the escaped satellite responds,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said from the Senate level earlier the Biden-Putin meeting.

But determination was astatine slightest 1 country wherever the 2 leaders recovered communal crushed during Tuesday’s call.

Sullivan said Biden and Putin had a “good discussion” connected efforts to forestall Iran from becoming a atomic powerfulness and called it an country wherever the 2 countries could cooperate.

“The much Iran demonstrates a deficiency of seriousness astatine the negotiating table,” the much determination volition beryllium a consciousness of unity among the U.S. and the parties to the 2015 atomic accord, including Russia and the European Union, helium said.

Biden connected Tuesday spoke for the 2nd consecutive time with leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy to coordinate messaging and imaginable sanctions. Biden is besides expected to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy connected Thursday.

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Isachenkov reported from Moscow. Associated Press writers Dasha Litvinoa successful Moscow and Robert Burns, Zeke Miller and Nomaan Merchant successful Washington contributed to this report.

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