President Biden on Tuesday warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. would impose economic and other sanctions if Moscow invades Ukraine.
Mr. Biden “made it clear that the U.S. and our allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,” according to a readout released by the White House following the two-hour video conference.
U.S. and European leaders have grown increasingly concerned about Moscow’s buildup of troops at the Ukrainian border.
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More than 94,000 Russian troops, armored vehicles and electronic warfare systems have been deployed to their shared border. It is the largest build-up of Russian forces on its border since it annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
The troop build-up has frayed already tense relations between the U.S. and Russia.
Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksil Rezinkov said Friday that Moscow may be preparing for a large-scale military invasion at the end of January.
Russian officials have insisted they have no plans to invade Ukraine and say the troops are there for military exercises.
However, Mr. Putin has said inviting Ukraine to formally join the NATO alliance is a security “red line.”
The two leaders wrapped up their call at 12:08 p.m., according to the White House. The call began at 10 a.m.
The White House closed their summit to the press, but the Kremlin released photos and a video clip of the meeting.
“Greetings, Mr. President,” Mr. Putin said at the start of the call, according to the clip released by the Kremlin.
“Good to see you again,” Mr. Biden responded. “Unfortunately, last time we didn’t get to see one another at the G20. I am hoping next time we do it in person.”
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is scheduled to discuss the call with reporters at an afternoon press briefing Tuesday.
U.S. and European leaders have put together a slew of economic sanctions against Russia to deter aggression against Ukraine.
“We believe that we have a path forward that would involve substantial economic countermeasures by both the Europeans and the United States that would impose significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy should they choose to proceed,” a senior administration official told reporters in a conference call Monday.
Mr. Biden is set to have a follow-up conversation Tuesday afternoon with the leaders of France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany, the White House said.