Urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine, US President Joe Biden during his 50-minute phone call with the former made clear that Washington, its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine, said White House.
"President Joseph R Biden spoke today with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement on Thursday.
"Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," the statement added.
During the phone call with Putin, "Biden also expressed support for diplomacy, starting early next year with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe," Psaki said.
US President also reiterated that substantive progress in these dialogues can occur only in an environment of de-escalation rather than escalation.
The phone call between the two leaders lasted for 50 minutes.
"President Biden's call with President Putin concluded at 4:25 PM EST," White House said on Thursday (local time). The call began at 3:35 PM EST.
This is the second call in the month between the two leaders amid escalating tension in Ukraine as the US continues to pressure Russia to draw down its large military presence near Ukraine's borders. US intelligence officials have warned Ukraine and its allies that Russia could be planning to launch an attack as soon as January.
( With inputs from ANI )
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