President Joe Biden on Friday warned that Russia would face tough response from the United States and the NATO Allies if its aggressive policy against Ukraine continued. Recalling his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday, Biden said, "I made it clear to President Putin that we will have severe sanctions, we will increase our presence in Europe, with NATO allies." President Biden made the press remarks in Wilmington city, Delaware State, amid Western concerns over Russian military build-up along Ukraine's eastern borders. "I always expect to negotiate and make progress," he pointed out. Responding to a question about if Russia faces sanctions if it keeps the troops at the border, he said, "I'm not gonna negotiate here in public but we made it clear he cannot, I'll emphasize, cannot invade Ukraine." Biden plans to speak with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday to express support amid Russia's military buildup near the countries' shared border, a White House official said Friday. Biden also intends to review plans for diplomatic moves aimed "to help de-escalate the situation in the region," the official said. US and Russian officials are set to hold security talks on Jan. 10 to discuss the Russia-Ukraine tensions and other issues. On Thursday, Biden in a 50-minute phone call urged Putin to lower those tensions. He warned the US was prepared to "respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. Asked if he sensed that Putin was less likely to invade Ukraine after their talk, Biden said, "Well, [what] I got the sense of is that he's agreed that we would have three major conferences in Europe" next month. "He laid out some of his concerns about NATO and the United States and Europe, we laid out ours," Biden said. "I made it clear that they only could work if he de-escalated." A Kremlin aide reportedly said after the phone call with Biden that Putin "outlined in detail the basic principles laid down by Russia in the security proposals and emphasized that we will seek to ensure Russia's security." Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Friday with Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio to discuss the importance of "continued coordination to deter any further Russian aggression against Ukraine." During the conversation, they affirmed "the consensus among Allies and partners to impose severe costs on Russia for such actions," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement, citing readout of the call. "They reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity," he noted. "They highlighted their solidarity with Lithuania in the face of escalating political pressure and economic coercion by the People's Republic of China, which risk US and European prosperity and security. "They also discussed Libya's ongoing efforts to organize national elections without further delay," Price added. — Agencies
