Biden warns Russia of "a great price" but reiterates that he will not send soldiers 3:53
(CNN) --
President Joe Biden has called for diplomacy to continue as the world waits to see if Russian President Vladimir Putin orders an invasion of neighboring Ukraine, stressing to Russian citizens that the United States .is not your enemy.
In a speech Tuesday at the White House, Biden told Russian citizens that the United States and its allies are not a threat to them.
Latest news on the crisis between Ukraine and Russia, the conflict that has the world on edge
"The United States and NATO are not a threat to Russia. Ukraine is not a threat to Russia. Neither the United States nor NATO have missiles in Ukraine. We have no plans to put them there as well. We are not targeting the people of Russia; we are not looking destabilize Russia. I say to the citizens of Russia: you are not our enemy," Biden said.
The president was optimistic that diplomacy would resolve the crisis after Russia publicly offered to continue the talks.
"We must give diplomacy every chance to succeed and I think there are real ways to address our respective security concerns," Biden said.
Russia has amassed more than 130,000 troops near Ukraine's border in recent weeks, according to US estimates, leading Western and Ukrainian intelligence officials to fear an invasion could be imminent.
Russia announced early Tuesday that some of its troops would return to the base after completing their recent military exercises, but stressed that the main military exercises would continue.
advertising
Videos show the deployment of Russian tanks, guns and missiles towards the border with Ukraine
Russia's Defense Ministry said troops from its southern and western military districts, parts of which adjoin Ukraine, had begun to return to their home stations, although the announcement did not say precisely where they were based. those troops permanently, where they had been exercising, or how many of them were withdrawing.
US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith said Tuesday that the US was "monitoring the situation" following the announcement by Kremlin troops, but added that she "will have to verify" any claims of a possible de-escalation move by part of Russia.
The crisis between Russia and Ukraine worsens in the midst of a diplomatic "great negotiation"
Biden had phone calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the weekend.
A senior Biden administration official called the call with Putin "professional and substantive" but said "there was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been going on for several weeks."
And a White House statement on Sunday's call to Ukraine indicated that Biden said the United States would respond "quickly and decisively" if Russia takes further steps toward invasion.
Last week and over the weekend, Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan publicly warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could come in the coming days.
"We cannot perfectly predict the day, but we have been saying for some time that we are in the window, and that an invasion, a major military action by Russia in Ukraine could start at any time, including this coming week, before the end of from the Olympics," Sullivan told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday's "State of the Union."
He added: "The way they've built up their forces, the way they've maneuvered into place, makes it a distinct possibility that there will be significant military action very soon. And we're prepared to continue to work on diplomacy, but We are also prepared to respond unitedly and decisively with our allies and partners should Russia proceed."
This is how NATO forces are deployed in Eastern Europe
The United States and other nations have warned their citizens in recent days to leave Ukraine.
And on Monday, the US announced that it would temporarily move its embassy in Kyiv to Lviv, a city in western Ukraine, "due to the drastic acceleration of the build-up of Russian forces," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Western countries and the press of spreading a "large-scale disinformation campaign" about an alleged imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine "in order to divert attention from its own aggressive actions." .
"At the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, the world information space was faced with a media campaign unprecedented in its scale and sophistication, the purpose of which is to convince the world community that the Russian Federation is preparing an invasion of the territory of Ukraine" the Ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
CNN's Stephen Collinson writes that the crisis in Ukraine is largely the creation of Putin and his personal and disputed version of history, which holds that the country, which was part of the Soviet Union until its disintegration in 1991, should be part of the great Russia.
There is also deep resentment over the way the Cold War ended with the admission into NATO of the former Warsaw Pact nations, which were aligned with the Soviets, such as Poland, Romania and the Baltic states.
Although the alliance is defensive in nature, Putin sees its entry into Eastern Europe as a direct threat to Russia and his view that Moscow is entitled to a sphere of influence in the region.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so the United States will not send troops to defend it.
But Washington also says that it should not be Putin who decides the fate of another independent and sovereign democracy.
US Accuses Moscow Spies Of Working With Russian-Language Media To Spread Disinformation About Ukraine
In effect, Putin is holding Ukraine hostage with a demand for the withdrawal of NATO forces from Eastern Europe that would amount to a major rewriting of the post-Cold War world that Washington will never accept.
But he can sense a historical moment in which he can open up divisions in the alliance, forever crush Ukrainian dreams of joining the West, avenge the fall of the Soviet Union and promote his notion of Russian greatness.
As tensions have escalated, Western allies have offered more and more forms of aid and assistance, including lethal aid.
The United States has sent arms and ammunition supplies to Ukraine and has offered Ukraine a sovereign loan guarantee of up to $1 billion to support its program of economic reforms and its continued engagement with the International Monetary Fund.
-- This is a developing story. Ivana Kottasová, Nathan Hodge, and Uliana Pavlova contributed reporting.
Joe BidenRussiaUkraine