US President Joe Biden assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Sunday January 2 that the United States and its allies ” will respond energetically If Russia invaded Ukraine.
” President Biden has made it clear that the United States and its allies will respond vigorously if Russia further invades Ukraine White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Joe Biden also underlined Washington’s commitment “ to the principle of “nothing about you without you” “, apparently referring to the need to include Ukraine in the negotiations on its own future.
“ We appreciate Ukraine’s unwavering support [de la part des États-Unis ndlr] », Reacted Mr. Zelensky on Twitter. “ We discussed the joint actions of Ukraine, the United States and its partners to maintain peace in Europe and prevent a worsening of the situation “.
The first international talk of the year with @POTUS proves the special nature of our relations. Joint actions of ??, ?? and partners in keeping peace in Europe, preventing further escalation, reforms, deoligarchization were discussed. We appreciate the unwavering support of ??.
– Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 2, 2022
On January 9 and 10, Russia and the United States will have talks on Ukraine in Geneva. Led by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and her Russian counterpart Sergei Riabkov, they will be followed on January 12 by a Russia-NATO meeting, then on January 13 by a meeting within the framework of the OSCE.
A conversation with Vladimir Putin
Friday, December 31, Joe Biden had already assured to have once again warned the Russian president against an attempted invasion of Ukraine during a telephone interview the day before : “ I made it clear to President Putin that we would adopt severe sanctions and that we would increase our presence in Europe, among our NATO allies. “.
“ We were clear: he cannot, I repeat, he cannot invade Ukraine Insisted Mr. Biden.
It was the second telephone conversation between the two heads of state in three weeks, due to tensions around pro-Western Ukraine, with the mobilization of Russian troops on Ukraine’s eastern border.
Putting in place the Minsk agreements
This Sunday, the American leader also “ expressed support for confidence-building measures to defuse tensions in the Donbass and active diplomacy to advance the implementation of the Minsk agreements “, According to Jen Psaki. Under these agreements, concluded under the aegis of France and Germany, Ukraine has agreed to carry out political reforms and Russia to end its support for pro-Russian separatist rebels.
Washington and its European allies accuse Moscow of threatening Ukraine with a new invasion, following that of Crimea in 2014, and of fomenting a pro-Russian separatist war that erupted that same year in the east. Some 100,000 Russian soldiers are massed near the country’s border.
For Moscow, Russia’s security requires the prohibition of any NATO expansion, perceived as an existential threat, and the end of Western military activities near Russian borders, an area it considers to fall within its area. influence.
According to the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin said he was “satisfied” with Thursday’s exchange of about fifty minutes, while affirming that new sanctions against Moscow will constitute “ a colossal mistake “.
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(With AFP)