Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin discussed the situation around Ukraine

President Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin concluded a telephone conversation Saturday afternoon about the troop buildup around Ukraine. The conversation between the presidents began at 11:00 a.m. U.S. East Coast time and lasted just over an hour.

An official White House statement issued after the talks concluded said, “President Biden made clear that if Russia undertakes another invasion of Ukraine, the United States, along with our allies and partners, will respond decisively and impose swift and serious costs on Russia.”

Joe Biden, speaking with Putin, stressed that a possible invasion would “cause massive human suffering and weaken Russia’s credibility.” The White House added that Biden “made clear to President Putin that while the United States remains ready to engage in diplomacy in full coordination with our allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios.”

Speaking after telephone talks between Putin and Biden, Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin’s chief foreign policy adviser, said in a teleconference, “Hysteria has reached its peak,” but added that “the presidents have agreed to continue contact at all levels.”

The day before, the United States and other Western countries warned that war in Ukraine could start at any moment.

Russia’s military build-up near the Ukrainian border and a surge of military activity have increased fears in the West of a possible invasion. Russia denies any such plans.

Putin asked for a phone conversation between the leaders on Monday, but Biden expressed a desire to hold the talks earlier because Washington had new intelligence about a possible attack on Ukraine.

Before speaking with Biden, Putin had time to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron. During the conversation, which lasted more than an hour and a half, the interlocutors discussed the “Ukrainian crisis.” Macron told Putin that “a sincere dialogue” was incompatible with the escalation of the current situation around Ukraine.

Macron and Putin “expressed their desire to continue the dialogue” on how to “advance the Minsk agreements,” and also talked about “the conditions of security and stability in Europe,” the French president added.

“We see no signs in President Putin’s words that he is going to go on the offensive,” Macron told reporters after the conversation ended. – “Nevertheless, we are extremely vigilant and are closely monitoring the Russian military posture to avoid the worst. However, France will now advise French citizens to avoid traveling to Ukraine.

Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands on Saturday joined countries that have urged their citizens to leave Ukraine. Washington said Friday that a Russian invasion, including an air attack, could happen at any time.

Moscow has repeatedly disputed Washington’s version of events, saying that more than 100,000 troops were concentrated near the Ukrainian border to ensure Russia’s safety from aggression by NATO allies.

Russia, which has accused Western countries of spreading lies, meanwhile said Saturday that it had decided to “optimize” the number of its diplomatic personnel in Ukraine for fear of “provocations” by Kiev or another party.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Saturday that Washington would immediately impose economic sanctions if Moscow invaded.

“I continue to hope that they will choose the path of diplomacy and dialogue rather than aggression,” Blinken told reporters after a meeting with Pacific leaders in Fiji today. – But if they don’t, we’re prepared for that.”

Putin, vying for influence in post-Cold War Europe, is seeking security guarantees from Biden to block Kiev from joining NATO and placing missiles near Russia’s borders.

Washington considers many of the Kremlin’s proposals to be futile, but nonetheless seeks a joint discussion with its European allies on the pending issues.

Biden has long believed that a one-on-one with Putin might be the best chance to resolve the problem. The two December phone calls between Biden and Putin did not lead to any significant changes, but paved the way for diplomatic talks between the teams of both presidents. The two leaders have not spoken since, while diplomats on both sides have struggled to find common ground.

Ahead of talks with Putin, Biden spoke about the crisis with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Poland and Romania, as well as the heads of NATO and the EU. As tensions have risen in recent weeks, Washington has sought to maintain a united front among allies in the event of aggression from Moscow.