- Biden urged Putin to ease tensions as Russia assembled troops along the Ukrainian border.
- The massive build-up of Russian troops has raised alarm in Europe.
- Amid growing tensions between the US and Russia, Biden has also suggested holding a summit.
- See more stories on Insider’s business page.
President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to ease tensions as thousands of Russian troops gather along Ukraine’s border as he proposes a summit in a third country in the near future as relations between Washington and Moscow has reached its lowest point in decades. .
The White House said in a statement that Biden had made it clear to Putin that the United States would “act strictly in defending its national interests in response to Russia’s actions, such as cyber-intrusion and interference in the election”, while calling on the United States’ “steadfast commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. ‘
“The president expressed our concern about the sudden Russian military build – up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to ease tensions,” the White House added.
The statement also said that Biden had reiterated his intention to “build a stable and predictable relationship with Russia that is in line with US interests”, while calling for a “summit in the coming months” to discuss range of issues facing both countries.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Brussels on Tuesday for talks with Ukraine’s foreign minister and NATO leaders, made similar remarks. “The United States stands firmly behind the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” Blinken said. “And this is especially important at a time when we unfortunately see Russia acting very defiantly when it comes to Ukraine.”
The top US diplomat warned Russia in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday about “consequences” if it “acts recklessly or aggressively”.
Meanwhile, Russia on Tuesday rebuffed U.S. warnings and criticism.
“The United States is our opponent and is doing everything in its power to undermine Russia’s position on the world stage,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
Ukraine, which has been fighting a war against Kremlin-backed separatists in the Donbas region for the past seven years, says Russia has amassed a total of about 80,000 troops – 40,000 along the eastern border and 40,000 in Crimea.
The massive build-up of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine and on the Crimea, which Putin unilaterally annexed in 2014, has sounded the alarm across Europe.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also called on Russia on Tuesday to withdraw its troops from the border.
“NATO stands with Ukraine,” he said. “Russia must end this military build-up in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and immediately decalate.”
Stoltenberg said the military build-up “was the largest mass of Russian troops since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014”.
And German Chancellor Angela Merkel demanded during a telephone conversation with Putin last week that the Russian leader reduce the presence of troops “to aggravate the situation,” the German government told Reuters.