"Frank" discussions, few concessions and above all threats.
During the virtual summit Tuesday between the United States and Russia, Joe Biden "let know" to Vladimir Putin that Russia would be exposed to "strong sanctions, among other economic ones" in the event of military escalation in Ukraine, and threatened to use the Nord Stream gas pipeline as "leverage".
"If Vladimir Poutine wants the future Nord Stream II to carry gas, he may not take the risk of invading Ukraine," said US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
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According to a statement from the White House, the US president also "expressed the deep concern" of the United States and its allies at the accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
Vladimir Poutine asked for guarantees from Biden on the non-enlargement of NATO, of which he denounces "the growing military potential" at the Russian borders and proposed to lift the restrictions on their respective diplomatic representations.
Close collaboration of the United States with the EU and Ukraine
Russian television had shown an exchange of courtesies at the beginning of this videoconference, filmed from the point of view of Vladimir Putin, sitting in front of a screen, behind a long varnished table in his residence in Sochi, a seaside resort on the Black Sea. The White House for its part released a photograph showing the reverse shot: Joe Biden in the “Situation Room”, the White House's ultra-secure crisis room, surrounded by advisers.
The United States, accused of going it alone during the withdrawal from Afghanistan and of carrying out certain international issues without too much regard for its allies, insists heavily on their close coordination with the Europeans and the Ukrainians.
Joe Biden will also phone French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Ministers Mario Draghi and British Boris Johnson on Tuesday to follow up on his exchange with Vladimir Putin.
He must also, in the coming days, report on the conversation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the US executive announced on Monday.
Joe Biden reiterated to his Russian counterpart "his support for Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity", according to the White House.
Kremlin denies any invasion plan
The hope of the American president to establish a "stable" and "predictable" relationship with Russia, expressed in June during a summit in person between the two men in Geneva, seems to have lived, at least for the moment. Washington, NATO and Kiev accuse Moscow of massing troops on the border with Ukraine in order to attack the country. The scenario recalls 2014 and the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula, then the outbreak in eastern Ukraine of an armed conflict which left more than 13,000 dead.
The Kremlin denies any plans for an invasion.
And accuses Washington of neglecting its own concerns: the increased activity of NATO countries in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian desire to join the Atlantic alliance and Kiev's ambition to arm itself with the West.
"Russia never intended to attack anyone but we have red lines," Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, had assured before the virtual summit.
Putin's bluff in Ukraine?
Many observers, in Europe and the United States, believe that Vladimir Putin is bluffing with the deployment of forces on Ukraine's borders, but few completely rule out the possibility of an attack. If Moscow were to take action, a senior White House official warned ahead of Tuesday's summit that the United States would "respond favorably" to a demand for an increased US military presence in Eastern Europe and provide more support. the Ukrainian army.
Washington is also particularly insisting on the threat of economic sanctions against the Russian regime.
And ensures that they would be more painful than those which have piled up without much effect on Russia since 2014. The European Union is also ready to adopt additional sanctions against Russia, warned the President of the European Commission on Tuesday. Ursula von der Leyen.
Cybersecurity and Iran at the heart of the discussions
The holding of this virtual Biden-Putin summit is already a success for Russia, which claims to be an unavoidable geopolitical power and thus at least temporarily tears the American president away from his major strategic priority, rivalry with China.
It had been a few weeks since the Kremlin called for a face-to-face meeting between the two presidents.
The two men also spoke about cybersecurity and their "common work on regional topics such as Iran", according to the United States.
Washington also accuses Moscow of turning a blind eye to major "ransomware" attacks against American companies this summer, operated from its territory.
