US Presidents Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin began their closely watched phone call on Ukraine, while the United States warned that Russia’s invasion of its neighbor may be imminent.
The call, which may be the last before Russia invades Ukraine, began Saturday at 11:04 a.m. EDT.
US officials have warned again that Russia’s preparations for an air, land and sea attack near Ukraine have reached the point where it can launch an invasion in a short time.
A travel advisory issued by the US State Department on Saturday said that most US staff at the Kiev embassy had been ordered to leave, and that other US citizens should leave the country immediately as well.
Putin wanted the call to take place on Monday, but Biden pressed for it to happen sooner, as US intelligence picked up what the White House said were increasing indications that Russia might soon invade Ukraine.
What happened in the call?
According to the White House, Biden stressed that “while the United States remains prepared to resort to diplomacy, in full coordination with our allies and partners, we are prepared at the same time for other scenarios.”
Biden touched on the escalation of Russia’s military buildup on the Ukrainian border. Biden has made it clear that in the event of Russia’s further incursion into Ukraine, the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively and impose immediate and painful sanctions.
President Biden reiterated that any Russian invasion of Ukraine would result in widespread human suffering and would disgrace Russia.
The White House indicated that Biden told Putin that if Russia invaded Ukraine, there would be a “decisive and swift” response.
For his part, a US official announced that there was no “fundamental change” in the situation after the Biden and Putin call.
The official told reporters, on condition of anonymity, that the consultations were “professional, in-depth and lasted a little over an hour. There has been no fundamental change in the dynamics that have been going on for weeks.”