On the last day of the year, two presidents spoke by phone across a widening gap, as roughly 100,000 Russian troops sat near the Ukrainian border and Moscow pressed for written assurances that NATO would never welcome Ukraine or move its forces eastward. The call came at Vladimir Putin's request, the second of the month, and it was less a negotiation than a pause before one: a chance to set terms before envoys meet in Geneva in January. Behind it lies a long memory of Crimea and Georgia, and a question that neither capital can yet answer with confidence: whether the language of security is an
Biden and Putin Hold Call as Russian Troop Buildup Near Ukraine Fuels Alarm
A diplomatic path remains open, even with 100,000 troops moved toward Ukraine
Mark
Why did Putin ask for this call when talks are already scheduled in Geneva?
Mimi
Peskov said it was meant to preface those talks, following up on the Dec. 7 video call after Moscow submitted its written proposals.
Luke
Worth noting that's the Kremlin's stated reason. The reporting doesn't tell us what was actually said on the call.
Mark
What does Russia actually want?
Mimi
A written pledge that Ukraine never joins NATO, and that NATO keeps its equipment out of former Soviet states and rolls back deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
Luke
And the U.S. has called those non-starters, so the gap is wide going in.
Mark
Is there any room to move?
Mimi
Steven Pifer thinks so, on reciprocal limits on exercises and on tools like a NATO-Russia hotline. He still calls the broader bar an overreach.
Luke
That's one analyst's view, not an administration position. The source says it's unclear what Biden would offer.
Mark
Does the troop number settle how serious this is?
Luke
It's an estimate, 100,000, and Russia denies any plan to invade. Whether the demands are a pretext is a question some are asking, not something established.
O Pulso
- An estimated 100,000 Russian troops are massed near Ukraine, and every new movement sharpens the fear of invasion.
- Moscow demands a written pledge that Ukraine will never join NATO, a demand Washington has already rejected as a non-starter.
- Putin himself initiated the call, pushing for a second conversation within weeks as the Kremlin test-fired Zircon hypersonic missiles in a salvo.
- Biden's team is insisting on de-escalation before progress, while keeping a diplomatic door open ahead of the January 10 Geneva talks.
- The path forward is uncertain: talks may proceed through NATO-Russia and OSCE channels, but no one yet knows what Washington would offer in return.
On the last day of the year, two presidents spoke by phone across a widening gap, as roughly 100,000 Russian troops sat near the Ukrainian border and Moscow pressed for written assurances that NATO would never welcome Ukraine or move its forces eastward. The call came at Vladimir Putin's request, the second of the month, and it was less a negotiation than a pause before one: a chance to set terms before envoys meet in Geneva in January. Behind it lies a long memory of Crimea and Georgia, and a question that neither capital can yet answer with confidence: whether the language of security is an opening for talk or a staging ground for force.
On Thursday afternoon, President Joe Biden took a call from Vladimir Putin at his home in Delaware. It was the second conversation between the two men this month, and it was Putin who asked for it. Behind the call stands a tense buildup of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine. Moscow denies any plan to invade and accuses Ukraine of preparing to retake rebel-held territory by force. Ukraine rejects that claim.
The Kremlin has been pressing harder for what it calls security guarantees. Its draft documents ask for a written promise that Ukraine will never join NATO, that the alliance deny membership to other former Soviet states, and that it withdraw forces from Central and Eastern Europe. The Biden administration calls these demands non-starters, pointing to NATO's principle that any qualifying country may join. Some observers wonder whether Moscow expects rejection and wants a pretext for war. Former U.S. ambassador Steven Pifer argues there may still be room to talk, perhaps through limits on military exercises and revived consultative channels like the NATO-Russia Council.
Biden is expected to tell Putin that real progress needs de-escalation, that the United States stands united with its allies, and that a diplomatic path remains open. Washington has also reaffirmed its support for Ukraine's sovereignty. The next steps are the January 10 talks in Geneva between senior officials, followed by planned meetings between Russia and NATO and Russia and the OSCE. Whether those meetings bring relief or deepen the standoff remains to be seen.
At 3:35 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, President Joe Biden picked up a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden took it from his home near Wilmington, Delaware, where he is spending the week. It was the second conversation between the two men this month, and Putin asked for it.
The backdrop is an estimated 100,000 Russian troops moved toward Ukraine. Russia has denied any plan to invade and has accused Ukraine of plotting to retake by force the territories held by Moscow-backed rebels. Ukraine rejects that claim. In recent days the Kremlin has also pressed harder for what it calls security guarantees, and last week it test-fired Zircon hypersonic missiles. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the launch was meant to make Russia's push for guarantees "more convincing." It was the first time the missiles were fired in a salvo, which suggests testing is complete before they enter Russian navy service next year, arming cruisers, frigates and submarines.
Peskov said the aim of the call was to continue the discussion from the Dec. 7 video conference, which centered on the troop movements and Moscow's demands. Since then, he noted, Russia has delivered its security proposals to U.S. and European officials, and Putin saw a need for another conversation before talks begin. Those talks are set for Jan. 10 in Geneva between senior U.S. and Russian officials. Biden and Putin, who met in Geneva in June, are not expected to take part.
Russia's draft documents ask for a written commitment that Ukraine will never join NATO, and that NATO deny membership to other former Soviet countries and pull back military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe. The Biden administration has called these non-starters. The U.S. and its allies cite NATO's principle that membership is open to any qualifying country, though they agreed to talk about Russia's concerns. Some observers wonder whether Putin is making demands he expects to be rejected, giving him a pretext to invade. Peskov offered no such reading; that is a question raised about the proposal.
Steven Pifer, a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under Clinton and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, argued in an analysis that there may be room to engage if Moscow is serious. He called the proposed bar on any NATO military activity in Ukraine, eastern Europe, the Caucasus or Central Asia an overreach, but said some reciprocal limits on exercises might be possible. Key NATO members, the source notes, have little appetite for expanding the alliance in the near future, and the U.S. and allies could be receptive to new consultative mechanisms such as the NATO-Russia Council and a NATO-Russia hotline. What Biden would actually offer in exchange for defusing the crisis remains unclear.
A senior administration official, speaking anonymously before the call, said Biden would tell Putin that real progress requires talks held in a context of de-escalation rather than escalation. He would say the U.S. is united with its allies and open to "principled diplomacy," and that a diplomatic path remains open. On Dec. 7, the White House said, Biden warned that an invasion would bring sanctions and enormous harm to Russia's economy; Russian officials have dismissed the threat. Putin, for his part, has urged the West to move quickly and warned of "adequate military-technical measures" if what he calls an aggressive course continues near Russia's threshold.
Washington also stressed its commitment to Ukraine. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reiterating support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price. The administration says it holds to the principle of "nothing about you without you" for European allies. Biden and Putin were also expected to discuss efforts to bring Iran back to the 2015 nuclear accord, an area where the White House believes the two countries can cooperate. Ahead of the call, Putin sent Biden a New Year's and Christmas telegram, posted on the Kremlin website, expressing conviction that a Russian-American dialogue based on mutual respect is possible.
History hangs over all of it: Russia's 2014 seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, and its 2008 invasion of Georgia. Next come the Jan. 10 Geneva talks, followed by planned meetings between Russia and NATO and between Russia and the OSCE.
Citações Notáveis
Real progress requires talks in a context of de-escalation rather than escalation.— Senior Biden administration official, ahead of the call
The need has arisen for another telephone conversation, which would preface the upcoming talks.— Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson
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