The Russians released a photo of President Biden's secure video call with Vladimir Putin
* President Biden spoke to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by video conference from White House Situation Room on Tuesday morning
* On Monday, Biden and the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy discussed how to retaliate if Putin invades Ukraine, as is feared
* The leaders resolved to 'impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy' if Putin does launch military action
* Russia could be cut off from global financial systems, in an 'Iranian-style' isolation * Biden did not threaten a direct military response to any invasion
* Instead Biden warned that the U.S. will deploy 'additional forces and capabilities' in the region, if Putin invades * The discussions come amid mounting concern over Russia's plans in Ukraine
* On Friday leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggested Moscow could be planning an invasion of Ukraine as soon as the spring
* The documents showed Russia potentially bringing 175,000 troops to the region to cross into Ukraine
* Monday's talks involved discussion about punishments Russian would face for invading Ukraine, with the leaders agreeing on harsh sanctions
* They are believed to have decided to stop short of military retaliation for the invasion, if it happens
President Joe Biden is facing off with Vladimir Putin in a tense video call from the White House Situation Room on Tuesday morning, where he will warn his Russian counterpart there will be severe economic consequences if Moscow invades the Ukraine.
The call started at 10:07 am ET, according to the White House.
Tuesday's call is one of the biggest test of Biden's diplomatic skills to date as he tries to head off a Russian attack that could lead to additional US troops being deployed to Eastern Europe to support NATO allies against an aggressive threat from the Kremlin.
Read more ....
Update #1: Live Updates: Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden Hold Talks Amid Growing US-Russia Tensions -- Sputnik
Update #2: Vladimir Putin begins video conference with Joe Biden -- TASS
WNU Editor: This news story will be updated later today.
No comments:
Post a Comment