Ukraine Prez Zelenskyy, Biden to hold telephonic conversation after US Prez-Putin talks

The Ukrainian presidential office said that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Joe Biden will hold a telephonic conversation on Tuesday, ANI reported citing Sputnik. According to media reports, the conversation with the Ukrainian leader and US leader will be held following a virtual meeting of Biden with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Citing the Ukrainian presidential office, the news agency said the main agenda of the meeting will be Russian aggression at the boundary of Ukraine. According to US intelligence input, around 70,000 Russian troops are deployed massed near the Ukraine border and has reportedly made all preparations to "invade Ukraine" next year.

While speaking to the reporters, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said president Biden will seek a diplomatic solution to deal with the Russian aggression during a virtual call with Putin. According to Psaki, the Biden administration wants to clear the Russian government to face repercussions if they try to invade or destabilize the incumbent government. He told Biden would invoke economic sanctions against Russia if it tried to hamper Kyiv from any side. "We’ve consulted significantly with our allies and believe we have a path forward that would impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy," AP quoted Psaki as saying during the preview meeting.

"You can call that a threat. You can call that a fact. You can call that preparation. You can call it whatever you want to call it," added Psaki.

Biden eyeing to avoid repeat of 2014 backlash

Citing a senior administration official who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity, AP said Biden on several occasions warned the Russian government through diplomatic channels but, this time Biden will warn Putin face-to-face. However, the official noted that Biden is not clear whether the intelligence reports are fully correct. 

It is pertinent to mention that Russian soldiers advanced into the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and annexed the territory from Ukraine when Barack Obama was the US President and Biden was vice president in 2014. The action from the Russian troops and the failure of Obama in combating the Russian troops' drawn widespread criticism. Perceiving the situation of 2014, Biden does not want to reiterate the same situation, the senior official told AP.

(With AP inputs)