Biden tells Putin to ease tensions on Ukrainian border, proposes summit
- In Reports
- 05:32 PM, Apr 14, 2021
- Myind Staff
President Joe Biden has proposed a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin to take place in a third country, so that the two can discuss a "full range of issues," according to the White House.
In his phone call with Putin on Tuesday — his first with the Russian president since taking office — Biden "made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia's actions."
The White House and the Kremlin reported only the second conversation between the two since Biden took office in January, after Western officials urged Moscow to end the build-up and Russia, in words recalling the Cold War, said its "adversary" should keep US warships away from the Crimea.
The call came days after Biden spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky amid heightened concern about a massive build-up of Russian forces along Ukraine's border and in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula that has been occupied by Russia since 2014.
During his call with Putin, the White House said, Biden urged him to "de-escalate tensions" with Ukraine - and warned the U.S. would "act firmly" to defend its own interests after Russia's repeated cyber attacks and election interference.
In a sign of concern about tensions spinning out of control in the Ukraine crisis, Biden phoned Putin to propose they meet in a third country while underlining US commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"President Biden also made clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia's actions, such as cyber intrusions and election interference," the White House said in a statement.
"The president voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions," it said.
In the first public Russian description of the build-up, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Moscow had moved two armies and three paratrooper units to its western border as part of a large snap drill meant to test combat readiness and respond to what he called threatening military action by NATO.
The White House said Biden raised the build-up, but didn't warn of any response, "The President voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine's borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions," it said in its readout.
Instead, Biden's call seemed more focused on U.S.-Russian relations. Early in his administration, the new president ordered the intelligence community to launch a review of Russia's reported role in the SolarWinds hack, the bounties on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, 2020 election interference, and the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
(Inputs from Agencies)
Image: Getty Images
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