Biden: ‘Decisive response in case of invasion of Ukraine’ Putin: “Relationship ruptures if sanctions are imposed” (3 reports)

A 50-minute phone call ahead of the security negotiations with the US next month… Upholding the existing position and fighting

Conversational momentum is alive… Continue discussions on Russia’s security measures such as ‘ban on NATO movement’

(Washington, Moscow = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Sang-heon Kim Kyung-hee and Yoo Cheol-jong Correspondent = US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a 50-minute telephone conversation on the 30th (local time) to resolve the immediate crisis in Ukraine.

It was the 23rd day since the two leaders held a video summit on the 7th.

In the phone call, President Biden expressed strong concern about Russia’s gathering of troops on the Ukrainian border and called for an immediate withdrawal of troops to ease tensions.

While dismissing the possibility of an invasion of Ukraine, Putin pressured Russia to accept the security measures it had requested, including a ban on movement by NATO.

In particular, during the phone call that day, President Biden demanded easing of tensions by saying that he would respond decisively if Russia invades Ukraine, and President Putin warned that bilateral relations could completely collapse if large-scale sanctions from the West, including the United States, were applied. fought a fight

Russia wants to make a legal commitment that former Soviet countries such as Ukraine will not join NATO, a military alliance led by the United States, and the United States has shown a stance that it will negotiate with Russia first, although it has a negative stance on this.

Russia has increased the deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine in recent months, raising concerns that it could invade Ukraine early next year.

“President Biden has made it clear that the United States, its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia invades Ukraine,” the White House said after the call. .

President Biden also said that he expressed support for NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)’s decision to pursue a diplomatic solution with Russia, starting with the bilateral strategic stabilization dialogue between the US and Russia early next year.

The United States and Russia are scheduled to hold working-level negotiations in Geneva on January 10 next year, with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov respectively attending.

On the 12th, a series of negotiations between Russia and NATO will follow, and on the 13th, Russia-OSCE.

President Biden urged Russia to take action to ease tensions, reiterating that real progress in dialogue can only occur during a phase of easing rather than escalation, the White House said in a call today.

Russian officials said Putin warned that large-scale sanctions by the US would be a huge mistake and could lead to the collapse of US-Russian relations.

“President Biden mentioned in a phone call that western countries will impose large-scale sanctions, including economic and military, if tensions on the Ukrainian border continue,” Putin’s foreign affairs and security adviser Yuri Ushakov said.

“President Putin responded immediately, saying that if the West imposes unprecedented sanctions, it could lead to a complete rupture of bilateral relations and will seriously harm Russia-Western relations as a whole.”

“President Putin said that such a move would be regarded as a huge mistake by his descendants and that it was better not to make such a mistake,” he added.

“President Biden has made it clear that the United States does not intend to deploy offensive weapons in Ukraine,” he said.

Although the two leaders did not achieve concrete results from the phone call that day, it is evaluated that the momentum of the negotiations was saved by agreeing to continue the dialogue in the new year.

Ushakov explained that the two leaders expressed their principled positions on major issues prior to working-level negotiations on the security issue on the 10th.

“President Putin said that what matters to Russia is the outcome and that Russia will strive to achieve the same result as ensuring security, and President Biden in principle agreed with that view,” he said.

The Kremlin press office said: “Overall, the dialogue was candid and business-like and beneficial to both sides.”

“President Putin emphasized that the outcome of the (US-Russia) joint work should be a firm legal guarantee against NATO’s eastern advance and the deployment of threatening weapons near the Russian border,” it added.

A senior U.S. official also assessed that the two leaders’ calls were “serious and substantial”.

“The U.S. will closely and very closely monitor the growth and movement of Russian troops in the Ukrainian border region,” the official said.

“The two leaders have already expressed their respective positions in previous calls, and President Biden has made it clear that two routes are possible, either diplomatically or as a deterrent with serious consequences depending on Russia’s decision,” he said.

“The two leaders have identified areas where meaningful progress is possible and areas where agreement is not possible,” he said.

The call was made at the request of President Putin amid growing concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and there was a great deal of interest in whether a breakthrough could be made to resolve the crisis.

cjyou@yna.co.kr, honeybee@yna.co.kr, kyunghee@yna.co.kr

<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스,
Unauthorized reproduction-redistribution prohibited>
2021/12/31 16:06 Send