(Anadolu) President Joe Biden reiterated his pledge of a decisive response by the US in the event of any further aggression by Russia against Ukraine in a phone call Sunday with his Ukrainian counterpart.
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Biden spoke with President Volodymyr Zelensky days after holding a call with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Ukraine tensions.
“President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” said Psaki.
“The leaders expressed support for diplomatic efforts, starting next week with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe,” she added.
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Biden also conveyed the US and its allies’ commitment to “the principle of ‘nothing about you without you’” as well as reaffirming the US’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“He also expressed support for confidence-building measures to de-escalate tensions in Donbas and active diplomacy to advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreements in support of the Normandy Format,” said the Psaki.
Biden spoke by phone with Putin on Thursday and urged Moscow to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine.
Russia has recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s border. The move has prompted concerns among NATO allies that Moscow could be planning another military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.
The US and its European allies accuse Russia of trying to destabilize the country by providing military support to separatist forces in Ukraine’s eastern regions.
Some 100,000 Russian troops are massed near the border of the country, where Russia has already controlled the Crimea region since 2014. It is also accused of fomenting a pro-Russian separatist war that erupted that same year in the east.
However, Moscow describes the troop presence as protection against the expansion of NATO, which was promised by the US to Gorbachev that it will not be expanded to Russian borders. Although Ukraine has not a member of the military alliance, its recent intentions to join NATO flared up the conflict.
