Biden, Putin set video call Tuesday as Ukraine tensions grow

[left-of-center2012]

Source: ABC News

MOSCOW -- Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin will speak in a video call Tuesday, the White House and Kremlin said, as tensions between the United States and Russia escalate over a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border that's seen as a sign of a potential invasion.

Biden will press U.S. concerns about Russian military activities on the border and “reaffirm the United States’ support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Saturday, confirming the planned call after first word came from Moscow.

Putin will come to the call with concerns of his own and intends to express Russia's opposition to any move to admit Ukraine into the NATO military alliance. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "the presidents will decide themselves” how long their talk will last.

Russia is more adamant than ever that the U.S. guarantees that Ukraine will not be admitted to the NATO military alliance. But NATO's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said this past week that Russia has no say in expansion plans by other countries or the alliance. Numerous former U.S. and NATO diplomats say any such Russian demand to Biden would be a nonstarter.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/biden-putin-talk-week-tensions-grow-ukraine-81557094

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U.S. intelligence officials, meanwhile, have determined that Russia has massed about 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as soon as early next year, according to a Biden administration official who was not authorized to discuss that finding publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

[paleotn]

1. Figured it wouldn't take Putin long to test the waters so to speak.

Careful, Putie. There could be sharks.

[totodeinhere]

2. I would like to be a fly on the wall in that one. n/t

[IronLionZion]

3. I'm curious about the consequences

Since Putin has done this before without feeling too deterred by sanctions.

[Mr.Bill]

4. That's because the last president

owed Putin billions of dollars. This conversation will be a little different.

[blue-wave]

5. And don't forget

the alleged PP tapes.

[former9thward]

7. Russia took over the Ukrainian states of Crimea and Donbas in 2014

During the Obama - Biden administration. There were sanctions which Russia ignored. What would be different this time?

[Mr.Bill]

9. We'll have to wait and see.

I have confidence in Biden. I'm sure Obama didn't want to go down in history as the black president who got us into WWIII.

[blue-wave]

6. You can bet

that President Biden has all our allies in line. The consequences for Vlad invading Ukraine would at the very least send Russia back to the stone ages economically. If as I speculate, Russia's access to the world-wide Swift System (this is the world's system which implements and finalizes global financial transactions in the billions and trillions daily) would be eliminated. There would be a Russian economic depression. And the thing is, this is not all we have in our bag.

Then you need to consider Ukraine's neighbors who would be more than alarmed at Russia's aggression. Like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia and the Baltic states. Would they place boots on the ground in Ukraine? If Russia fires on any of them, NATO would have to answer.

Yes, Vlad is playing an extremely dangerous game here. Let's hope he comes to his senses (if he has any sense) for the sake of the world.

[former9thward]

8. Our allies are not in line.

The EU is dependent on Russia for energy - especiaally Germany. They have been largely silent on Ukraine.

[blue-wave]

10. Putin's beloved pipeline is

DOA if he invades Ukraine. I'll put money on it. Russia will also lose SWIFT money transfer authority. And there will be more. A long Russian economic depression will be ahead.

Wait until the Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak and Baltic States step in to defend their borders. That will suck in those "silent" Europeans. If a second hostile Russian invasion of Ukraine begins, all hell will break loose.

Putin is playing with gasoline. He needs to stay away from the matches. It will blow up in his face.

[Takket]

11. can't putin just knock it the fuck off?

He has more money than God. He has infinite power in Russia.

Just knock it the fuck off. Spend your money on lavish trips and crazy cars. Have a blast for the rest of your life.

Why does he has to be such a piece of shit?

We still have a global pandemic going on. We don't have time to be dealing with this nonsense. We have domestic affairs to attend to.

I just don't get why people who have ALMOST everything are never satisfied.