Biden threatens to impose sanctions. Putin warns the United States

During the second 50-minute phone conversation, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin threatened each other while expressing their willingness to hold a dialogue, as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported on Friday. The two heads of state warned of the possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the Kremlin, Putin should have warned Biden against imposing severe sanctions on Russia. – It would be a huge mistake – Putin’s foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov commented after the phone call.

– Talks between representatives of the two countries scheduled for January on the security guarantees demanded by Moscow should bear fruit – added Ushakov.

The conversation takes place against the background of tensions related to the massive deployment of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. “The West is concerned that Russia may attack neighboring Ukraine. The government in Moscow denies any plans to launch an attack and accuses Kiev and NATO of provocations.”

During the conversation on Thursday, Biden emphasized current US policy. “President Biden has made it clear that the United States will continue to provide defensive security for Ukraine,” Die Welt newspaper reported.

Biden and Putin met for the last time in Geneva in June, and the last video interview was on December 7. Representatives of the United States and Russia plan to hold a meeting on January 10 in Geneva to discuss the conflict in Ukraine there.

Talks between Russia and NATO are scheduled two days later, and consultations between Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are scheduled for January 13.