BFF-48, 49, 50 Biden urges Putin to ease Ukraine tensions

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Biden urges Putin to ease Ukraine tensions

WASHINGTON, April 13, 2021 (BSS/AFP) – US President Joe Biden told
his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to ease mounting tensions with
neighboring Ukraine Tuesday, joining a pushback against a build-up of
troops along their border which has raised alarm among NATO allies.

As a new report from American intelligence said Russia was not
seeking direct conflict with the United States, the White House
revealed Biden had spoken by phone with Putin to propose a summit
between the two leaders at a neutral venue.

The Kremlin said the two men had agreed to “continue dialogue”
without saying whether Putin had agreed to what would be their first
meeting since Biden came to power.

The Russian buildup at the Ukrainian border has caused mounting
alarm in the West in recent days, with the United States saying that
troop levels are at their highest since 2014, when war first broke out
with Moscow-backed separatists.

Biden “voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up
in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to
de-escalate tensions,” the White House said after the phone call.

“President Biden reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and
predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests, and
proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months”, it
added in a statement.

In its readout of the call, the Kremlin said “both sides expressed
their readiness to continue dialogue on the most important areas of
ensuring global security.”

The Kremlin confirmed that the US president had proposed what would
be the leaders’ first summit since Biden came to office vowing a
tougher line on Russia, including over its alleged interference in US
elections and harsh treatment of ailing opposition leader Alexei
Navalny.

Putin similarly held a summit in Finland in 2018 with then US
president Donald Trump, who caused a furor at home by appearing to
accept the Russian leader’s denials of election meddling.

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The Biden-Putin call came as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba
met in Brussels with top officials of NATO nations including Secretary
of State Antony Blinken and the transatlantic alliance’s chief, Jens
Stoltenberg.

“Russia’s considerable military build-up is unjustified, unexplained
and deeply concerning — Russia must end this military build-up in and
around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately,”
Stoltenberg said at his meeting with Kuleba.

– ‘We remain vigilant’ –

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu hit back that Moscow has
deployed troops to its western borders for “combat training exercises”
in answer to NATO military moves.

“In response to the alliance’s military activities that threaten
Russia, we took appropriate measures,” Shoigu said in televised
remarks, adding the exercises would be completed within two weeks.

Ukraine — which applied to join NATO in 2008 — is pressing Western
powers for “practical” support as it seeks to deter any new aggression
from Moscow.

“Russia will not be able to catch anyone by surprise anymore.
Ukraine and our friends remain vigilant,” Kuleba said as he met
Stoltenberg and Blinken.

Blinken insisted “the US stands firmly behind the sovereignty and
the territorial integrity of Ukraine” and said the country’s
“Euro-Atlantic aspirations” would be discussed in the alliance.

Some NATO members remain deeply reluctant to heed Ukraine’s appeal
to speed up its push for admission as they seek to avoid ratcheting up
the tension.

In a new report released Tuesday, the director of US national
intelligence said that Russia would “continue destabilization efforts
against Ukraine” while concluding that “does not want a direct
conflict” with the United States.

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– ‘Powder keg’ –

The Kremlin has warned NATO off getting further involved in Ukraine
and on Tuesday accused the alliance members of turning the country
into a “powder keg.”

“If there is any aggravation, we of course will do everything to
ensure our security and the safety of our citizens, wherever they
are,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by
Russian news agencies.

“But Kiev and its allies in the West will be entirely responsible
for the consequences of a hypothetical exacerbation.”

The troop build-up comes amid a spike in violence along the front
line between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces in the
east of the country.

Ukraine’s military said that one of its soldiers was killed on
Tuesday when a drone dropped grenades on his position, taking to 29
the number of fatalities for Kiev this year.

Fighting subsided in 2020 as a ceasefire agreement took hold last
July, but clashes have picked up again since the start of the year,
with each side blaming the other.

Analysts say NATO allies are not willing to commit their own forces
to a conflict against Moscow over Ukraine, but could bolster other
forms of assistance.

“NATO members will not send any boots on-the-ground in Ukraine,”
said Bruno Lete, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the
United States think tank.

“Their support will be limited to political messaging, military
advice, and technical aid.”

But in a clear sign that Washington is looking to bolster its
military backing for European allies, US Defense Secretary Lloyd
Austin announced it was sending some 500 new personnel to Germany.

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