Ukraine conflict: Biden pledges support to Zelenskyi
Status: 03.01.2022 1:45 a.m.
After his conversation with Kremlin chief Putin, US President Biden spoke to the Ukrainian head of state on the phone. He promised his counterpart a “determined” reaction should Russia attack the country.
In a telephone conversation with the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden assured that the US and its allies would react “resolutely” to an invasion of Ukraine. In the conversation on Sunday, Biden also affirmed US support for Ukraine’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity”, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
Zelenskyi, for his part, welcomed the United States’ “steadfast support” for his country. The Ukrainian president wrote on the online service Twitter that he had discussed a joint approach by the USA, Ukraine and their partner with Biden to “maintain peace in Europe” and to prevent further escalation.
Zelensky will agree positions with Biden in the joint conversation.
Image: via REUTERS
Preparation for negotiations in Geneva
In the phone call, according to Psaki, Biden underlined his support for diplomatic processes to defuse the Ukraine conflict. The US president had already been on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin for almost an hour on Thursday. Russian and US diplomats plan to meet in Geneva on January 9th and 10th. The western defense alliance of the NATO facility also had a meeting with the Russian side for January 12th. The day after, there is to be a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
The West fears that Moscow could attack the neighboring country. The Kremlin has denied any plans to attack and criticized the troop movements and, for its part, accuses Ukraine and NATO of “provocations”. In 2014 Russia annexed the Ukrainian Black Sea peninsula of Crimea. It also supports separatists loyal to the Kremlin in eastern Ukraine.
Putin talks to Erdogan about demands on NATO
Russia’s demands for an end to NATO’s Easter expansion, Putin, meanwhile, with his Turkish colleague Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey is a member of NATO itself. According to the Kremlin, the phone call was about making proposals for legally binding agreements to ensure Russia’s security, the Kremlin said. Most recently, Putin had repeatedly campaigned for a policy of détente with the USA and NATO. Specifically, the Kremlin chief calls for NATO to renounce Ukraine’s admission.
In talks with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin made it clear that Russia sees its security threatened by the progress of NATO. Moscow had threatened the western military alliance with consequences if security guarantees were rejected. Ukraine, on the other hand, continues to strive for membership in NATO, unimpressed by Russia’s warnings.
White House: Biden wants to speak to Ukrainian President Zelenskyi on Sunday
Antje Passenheim, ARD New York, December 31, 2021 11:57 p.m.