Two days after the virtual summit with Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden on Thursday pledged allegiance to the Ukrainian president and US allies in Eastern Europe in the face of the threat of a Russian military offensive against Ukraine.
He reiterated his “unambiguous commitment” to US President Volodymyr Zhelensky “for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” in a conversation that lasted about an hour and a half, according to the White House report.
A senior U.S. official told a news conference that the US president had promised “no concessions” to his Russian president.
He was responding to press reports that Washington was pressuring Kiev to relinquish control of some territories in eastern Ukraine occupied by pro-Russian separatists.
“No nation can force another to change its borders,” the source said.
– “Strong Support” –
Joe Biden has indicated in his appeal to Volodymyr Zhelensky that he supports the 2015 Minsk Accords, which will end the deadly conflict that is ravaging eastern Ukraine.
According to the White House, the US president is ready to support “confidence-building measures” in this political process.
The US president, in another conversation with the nine Eastern European nations that are NATO members, pledged to “pursue closer consultation and coordination” and reaffirmed the “need for a united front” within the military alliance.
He praised Ukrainian President Joe Biden for his “firm support” for his country.
During their call, MM. The Ukrainian head of state said Biden and Zelensky were discussing possible forms of conflict resolution, especially in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, which has been the scene of bloody clashes since 2014.
The West has accused Russia of amassing tens of thousands of troops near the Ukrainian border for more than a month. The Kremlin says it responds to “provocations.”
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin spoke for two hours on Tuesday, although both camps noted useful discussions but could not fully ease tensions.
“If (Putin) really occupies Ukraine, there will be economic consequences he has never seen before,” Biden said Wednesday, although he refused to send US troops to Kiev, which is not a member of NATO.
– “lie”, according to Moscow –
Tensions with Moscow raise fears of a deadly eruption seven years after the war between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, a poor country in Eastern Europe. More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Russia denies any militant intentions towards its neighbor, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, but vehemently opposes the annexation of the former Soviet republic to NATO.
Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Russian-speaking people in Donbass were “russophobia”, “the first step towards genocide”.
The previous day, Moscow had said it had “the right to defend its security.”
For his part, General Valery Kurosimov, head of Russian military personnel, told Moscow on Thursday that the plan to invade Ukraine was a “lie.”
For now, the West is maintaining diplomatic pressure on Moscow, citing tough sanctions if Russia takes action.
New German Chancellor Olaf Scholes has threatened Moscow with “repercussions” for the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, particularly for Russia’s supply of gas to Germany.
In an interview, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and European Council President Charles Michel agreed that “rapid and severe sanctions are needed” if military expansion increases.
President Biden has pointed out that the Russian offensive in Kiev could lead to a strengthening of the US military presence in NATO member territories in Eastern Europe.
He also mentioned sending additional “security measures” to Kiev, which will receive “small arms and ammunition” already sent this week as part of a US support program.
More Stories
les funérailles très politiques de Tire Nichols contre les violences policières
la CONFEJES pense à l’après-carrière des athlètes
Au Sahel, le fléau des médicaments dangereux pour la santé – DW – 01/02/2023