President Joe Biden again spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, warning Russia not to further invade Ukraine.
“President Biden urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine. He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement after the call.
The call, which lasted about 50 minutes, was requested by Putin. Biden made the call from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. The White House released a photo of Biden on the phone to reporters.
Psaki said that Biden supported more diplomacy with Russia, including dialogue with NATO and European allies through the NATO-Russia Council.
“President Biden reiterated that substantive progress in these dialogues can occur only in an environment of de-escalation rather than escalation,” she said.
Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov told reporters after the call that further economic sanctions on Russia from the United States “would be a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences.”
Earlier in December, Biden participated in a video conference call with Putin, warning him he would be tougher than former President Barack Obama was when Russia annexed Crimea.
At the time, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said that Biden would deploy “clear and decisive” action if Putin moved further into Ukraine.
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