Biden Tells Putin Of ‘Deep Concerns' About Russian Troops On Ukraine Border

Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin held a virtual summit yesterday but made little apparent headway in defusing the crisis over Ukraine in the wake of a Russian troop build-up and instead delegated officials from both countries to stay in contact.

- Julian Borger, Andrew Roth 

The two leaders talked by videoconference for just over two hours. The White House account of the call said that Biden had voiced “deep concerns” about the Russian military build-up around Ukraine and “made clear that the US and our allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation”.

The nature of the other measures was not spelled out, but officials have said the US would be open to requests from European allies to reinforce Nato’s eastern flank if Russia invaded Ukraine and would beef up Ukraine’s defence capabilities.

Among the economic measures under consideration are a ban on the secondary market in Russian bonds, sanctions on major Russian corporations and banks, and possible expulsion from the Swift international electronic payments system.

The US president restated his support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, calling for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy.

The White House said the two leaders had “tasked their teams to follow up”, adding that the US would do so in coordination with allies and partners.