The president, Joe Biden, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, will speak by phone next Tuesday, at a time when tensions between the United States and Russia are intensifying due to the increase in troops that country on the Ukrainian border, which which is considered a sign of a possible invasion.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed plans for the long-awaited call on Saturday, saying it will take place in the afternoon.
According to the news agency The Associated Press, US intelligence officials determined that Russia has concentrated some 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and began planning a possible invasion that could be carried out as early as early next year. according to a Biden Administration official who was not authorized to discuss that finding publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Biden and Putin met in June at the 'Villa la Grange' in Geneva, Switzerland.
Patrick Semansky / AP
The risks for Putin are enormous.
US officials and former diplomats say that while the Russian president is clearly laying the groundwork for a possible invasion, the Ukrainian military is better armed and prepared today than in the past, and that the sanctions threatened by the West would seriously harm the Russian economy. .
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"What I'm doing is putting together what I think it will be, the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are concerned he can do," Biden said. on Friday.
Ukrainian officials have said that Russia could invade the country next month.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov assured that they estimate that there are 94,300 Russian troops near Ukraine and in the Crimean peninsula, annexed to Russia and that there could be an "escalation" in January.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently denounced that a group of Russians and citizens of his country planned to attempt a coup.
He added that conspirators tried to enlist the help of Ukraine's richest man, Rinat Akhmetov.
Russia and Akhmetov have denied there is a plot going on, but the Russians have recently become more explicit in their warnings to Ukraine and the United States.
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According to a person close to the Ukrainian leader, Biden is also scheduled to speak with Zelensky next week.
According to The Associated Press, this person was not authorized to comment publicly prior to the announcement of the call and also spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the Kremlin, on the call, Putin would seek binding guarantees that prevent NATO expansion into Ukraine.
On this, Biden limited himself to saying Friday that he does not accept "anyone's red line."
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Administration would coordinate with European allies if it moved forward with sanctions.
The official alluded to Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Black Sea peninsula had been under Ukraine's control since 1954.
"We know what President Putin has done in the past," Psaki said.
Relations between the United States and Russia have been difficult since Biden took office.
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His Administration has imposed sanctions against Russian targets and has drawn attention to Putin for
the Kremlin's interference in the United States elections
, cyber activity against American companies and the treatment given to opponent Alexei Navalny, who was poisoned last year and later. imprisoned.
When Putin and Biden met in Geneva in June, Biden warned that if Russia crossed certain red lines, including going after major US infrastructures, their would respond and "the consequences of that would be devastating."