Joe Biden, who is at home in Delaware for the New Year holiday, will talk to Vladimir Putin on Thursday
Washington:
Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak by phone on Thursday amid heightened tensions over Ukraine ahead of next month’s US-Russia security talks, the White House said.
It would be the second phone call in less than a month between the two leaders, with Biden in early December warning Putin of “serious consequences” if Russia invaded Ukraine.
Mrs. Biden, who is staying at her home in Delaware over the New Year holiday, will speak to Mr Putin on Thursday on “a wide range of topics, including upcoming diplomatic engagements with Russia”, said Emily Horne, spokesman for the National Security Council said.
“The Biden administration continues to engage in extensive diplomacy with our European allies and partners, consulting and coordinating on a common approach to dealing with Russia’s military buildup. on the border with Ukraine,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to Western officials, Russia has deployed tens of thousands of troops on its border with Ukraine, who fear a repeat of 2014 when Moscow took over Crimea and a pro-Russian uprising broke out in eastern Ukraine.
In a potential step to defuse tensions, senior US and Russian officials plan to meet on January 10 in Geneva.
The meeting came after Russia made proposals to the United States, including a call not to expand NATO eastward or establish bases in former Soviet republics.
The United States has called some of the Russian positions non-starters but has said they are open to dialogue and will also address their own concerns.
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