Biden tells Putin Ukraine invasion would bring swift response
U.S. President Joe Biden told Russia’s Vladimir Putin during an hour-long call on Saturday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring a decisive and swift response from the West.
Biden also said such a move would produce widespread suffering and diminish Russia’s standing in the world.
The two men spoke by phone in the latest effort to avert hostilities, just a day after Washington and its allies warned a Russian invasion could happen any time.
Russia continues to deny having any such plans, saying it has amassed more than 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border to maintain its own security against aggression by NATO allies.
A senior Biden administration official said the call was professional and substantive, touching on all the issues the U.S. has raised in public, but added there was no fundamental change.
The official said it remains unclear whether Putin is willing to pursue a diplomatic path.
Earlier on Saturday, the U.S. State Department ordered most of its embassy staff to leave Ukraine, adding to its call on Friday for private citizens to get out of the country within 48 hours.
U.S. National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan said "We want to be crystal clear on this point: any American in Ukraine should leave as soon as possible, and in any event, within the next 24 to 48 hours."
The Pentagon said it was withdrawing about 150 military trainers.
More countries told their citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately, with Israel, Portugal, and Bulgaria joining the list.
Several thousand Ukrainians rallied in Kyiv on Saturday to show unity amid fears of an invasion, as Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy told people to remain calm.
"the best friend for enemies that is panic in our country and all this information that helps only for panic doesn't help us."
In a separate call on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron told Putin that sincere negotiations were incompatible with an escalation in tensions over Ukraine, France said.
Washington says it plans to send 3,000 extra troops to Poland, Ukraine's western neighbor, in coming days to try and help reassure NATO allies.
They are in addition to 8,500 already on alert for deployment to Europe if needed, U.S. officials have said.
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