Russia was again urged to ease its military buildup near Ukraine ahead of a pivotal month of talks — or face “serious costs and consequences'
President Joe Biden speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone from his private residence in Wilmington, Del., Thursday, Dec. 30, 2021.
In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki also said Biden told Putin that the U.S. and its allies “will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.”"unprecedented sanctions" leveled on Russia by the U.S. could cause "most serious damage" and a "total severance of relations." The senior administration official told reporters that the upcoming meetings will address a range of concerns about Russian behavior, yet “there will be some degree of overlap among the different conversations.”
“I’m concerned that what he is doing is trying to collect intelligence on Biden or setting the groundwork for what he intends to do anyway,” said Evelyn Farkas, former deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia in the Obama administration. “It’s fraught for him.”
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