President Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of “swift and severe costs” if Russia moves against Ukraine in a phone call Saturday, as the U.S. ordered most embassy staff out of the country and Moscow also began withdrawing its diplomatic presence there.
“President Biden was clear that, if Russia undertakes a further invasion of Ukraine, the United States together with our allies and partners will respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs on Russia,” the White House said after the two leaders’ hourlong call.
The discussion didn’t bring about any breakthrough and there was “no fundamental change” in the dynamic, a senior administration official said Saturday. Mr. Biden put more ideas on the table to help persuade Mr. Putin not to invade Ukraine, but officials were mum on how those proposals were received or if any of them were new.
The U.S. official said the two leaders agreed to remain engaged, regardless of whether Moscow decides to invade Ukraine or not. Biden also reiterated that a Russian invasion would produce “widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing” in the world, the White House said, adding that Biden was “clear with President Putin that while the United States remains prepared to engage in diplomacy, in full coordination with our allies and partners, we are equally prepared for other scenarios.”
The call between the two leaders, which lasted just over an hour, came after the State Department ordered the evacuation of most of its embassy staff in Kyiv. The Pentagon on Saturday also ordered the departure of the 160 members of the Florida National Guard that had been deployed to train Ukrainian forces.
After the call, a senior Biden administration official told reporters it “remains unclear” if Russia is interested in pursuing goals through diplomacy or use of force, while noting that “there was no fundamental change in the dynamic that has been unfolding now for several weeks.”
According to a report from the Military, President Joe Biden on Friday ordered the deployment of 3,000 more troops to Europe to bolster NATO’s eastern flank as U.S. officials gave an urgent warning that Russia is now on the cusp of invading Ukraine. The paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division were ordered to deploy to Poland, according to a senior defense official.
Those soldiers were expected to leave Fort Bragg, North Carolina, shortly and be on the ground in Poland “by early next week.” The deployment comes in addition to 1,700 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne and XVIII Airborne Corps who started mobilizing Feb. 2. Nearly two-thirds of that first set of soldiers have arrived in Poland, and 300 soldiers who are mostly administrative personnel have been sent to Germany.
