US President Joe Biden and Putin held a video call that covered a range of issues, Ukraine being the main topic. At the press briefing following the call, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the US and its European allies would respond with strong economic measures if Russia further invades Ukraine. “We expect additional capabilities and potentially additional deployments to our partners on the eastern front, our Baltic allies, Romania, Poland and other countries in the event that there is a further incursion into Ukraine.

“We still do not believe that President Putin has made a decision.  What President Biden did today was lay out very clearly the consequences if Putin chooses to move,” Sullivan said.

President Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the UK to debrief them on the call and to consult on the way forward, and he is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Thursday. It was reported that Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and called for reducing tensions between the two countries and a return to diplomacy.