Putin, Biden did not discuss US submarine incident near Kuril Islands: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Joe Biden did not discuss the incident with detecting a US submarine in Russia’s territorial waters near the Kuril Islands, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Saturday, following a phone call between the two leaders over escalating Ukraine border tensions. 

According to Sputnik, the Russian Defence Ministry had summoned a US military attache after the Russian fleet had discovered an American submarine in Russian waters near the Kuril Islands. The submarine at first ignored the demand to come up to the surface and then left only after the appropriate means were used.

"We know about this. And the defence ministry is taking the necessary steps. But the presidents did not talk about this," Ushakov said, as quoted by Sputnik.

Biden-Putin call 'professional and substantive'

Meanwhile, with the risk of war looming large, Putin and Biden held a high-stakes telephone call on Saturday. The conversation between the two leaders lasted for a little over an hour and took place in the wake of increased US concerns about the possibility of Russian action in Ukraine. Yury Ushakov described Saturday’s phone call as “balanced and businesslike”.

However, the Kremlin aide also added that the US and NATO had failed to address Russia’s main security concerns. Ushakov stated that the call took place in an atmosphere of “hysteria” about the supposedly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine by American officials. He added that the pressure around the topic of the invasion was carried out in a coordinated manner and the hysteria has reached its climax. 

According to Ushakov, Biden told Putin he was "committed to the diplomatic path and had laid out a range of considerations that he sees as addressing many of Russia's concerns." Putin said the US and its allies had been "pumping up" Ukraine with new weaponry and encouraging provocations by Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region and in Crimea, Ushakov added, as quoted by CNN. 

On the other, a senior US official said that Biden’s call with Putin was “professional and substantive”, however, there has been no change in the fundamental dynamics of Russian escalation along Ukraine’s border and there still remains a possibility of a Russian invasion. Biden also noted that it “remains unclear whether Russia is interested in pursuing its goals diplomatically”. When asked if Russia has made a decision to invade, the official said that the US does not have full visibility into Putin’s decision making.  

Image: AP