Biden threatens Putin with sanctions in case of ‘escalation’, with Nord Stream gas pipeline considered ‘leverage’

It was a high-voltage interview. Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin traded in a two-hour exchange on Tuesday with the main stake Fear of conflict in Ukraine. Joe Biden told Vladimir Putin that the United States and its allies would “respond with strong economic measures, among other things, In the event of a military escalation According to a press release issued in the wake of the White House.

“We didn’t get to see each other at the G20. I hope the next time we meet, we do it in person,” Biden tells Putin. pic.twitter.com/GQnwWEUThv

Annmarie December 7, 2021

In the process, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned that Washington was ready to use the Nord Stream gas pipeline, through which Russia wants to supply natural gas to Europe, as a “leverage” of deterrence. Noting that this pipeline was not yet operational, he warned, “If Vladimir Putin wants Nord Stream II to carry gas in the future, he may not risk an invasion of Ukraine.”

Moscow asks for guarantees that NATO will not expand

For his part, Vladimir Putin denounced the growing military potential of NATO on Russia’s borders linked to its support for Ukraine, and demanded “guarantees” about the alliance’s non-expansion to the east. “NATO is making dangerous attempts to use the Ukrainian lands and is developing its military capabilities on our borders, which is why Russia is seriously interested in safe legal guarantees with the exception of NATO’s expansion in the east,” the Kremlin wrote in a statement. Candid and professional interview.

Jake Sullivan replied that Joe Biden made no “promises or concessions” on the question of Ukraine’s possible entry into NATO.

In a calming gesture, Vladimir Putin proposed to Joe Biden to lift all retaliatory measures targeting their countries’ diplomatic missions taken in recent months amid tensions between the United States and Russia. “The Russian side proposed canceling all accumulated restrictions on the work of diplomatic missions, which could help normalize other aspects of Russian-US bilateral relations,” the Kremlin said in a statement.

Western United Front

Standing alone during the withdrawal from Afghanistan and leading some international issues without much concern for its allies, the United States insists firmly on its close coordination with the Europeans and the Ukrainians. Joe Biden will call French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Britain’s Boris Johnson on Tuesday after his talks with Vladimir Putin.

He had already spoken with those allies on Monday and agreed to stay “in close contact”. On Monday, the CEO of the United States announced that Joe Biden should also, in the coming days, report on the conversation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The US president’s hope for a “stable” and “predictable” relationship with Russia, expressed in June during a personal summit between the two men in Geneva, appears to have lived on, at least for the time being.

Moscow denies any invasion plan

Washington, NATO and Kiev accuse Moscow of massing troops on the border with Ukraine to attack the country. The scenario refers to 2014 and the Russian annexation of Crimea, then the outbreak of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine that left more than 13,000 people dead.

The Kremlin denies any plans for an invasion. Moscow accuses Washington of neglecting its own concerns: NATO’s increased activity in the Black Sea, Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, and Kiev’s ambition to arm itself with the West. “Russia never intended to attack anyone, but we have red lines,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized on Monday.

Many observers, in Europe and the United States, believe that Vladimir Putin is deceiving by deploying troops on the borders of Ukraine, but few have completely ruled out the hypothesis of the attack. If Moscow takes action, a senior White House official warned that the United States will “respond positively” to the demand for an increase in the US military presence in Eastern Europe and provide more support to the Ukrainian military.