U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday said that the possibility of sending U.S. ground combat troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion was "never on the table" although the U.S. and NATO would be required to send in more forces to eastern flank NATO countries to beef up their defenses.
Biden said he has warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of "a terrible price" if it invaded Ukraine. "I made it absolutely clear to President Putin ... that if he moves on Ukraine, the economic consequences for his economy are going to be devastating, devastating," Biden said.
Ukraine has recently accused Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible large-scale military offensive, an accusation that Russia has denied.
Moscow has in return accused Ukraine and the U.S. of destabilizing behavior, and has said it needs security guarantees on its border for its own protection.
At a public event last month, Putin has said the expansion of NATO military infrastructure in Ukraine was a red line he hoped would not be crossed.
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Ukraine 'entirely prepared' for escalation with Russia: president
On December 7, the presidents of the U.S. and Russia also discussed acute issues including the Ukraine situation in a virtual meeting, their first known interaction since a phone call in July .
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with U.S. President Joe Biden via video link in Sochi, Russia, December 7, 2021. /CFP
Putin told Biden that Russian forces are deployed on the nation's territory, not Ukraine, and do not pose a threat to anyone, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday as he elaborated on the issues discussed at the meeting.
He also said "scary stories" fueled by the U.S. media that Biden tried to "frighten" Putin were not true and Americans "themselves" fell for the "fake news campaign" and believed plans for a Russian invasion of Ukraine were true.
Yet Tuesday's meeting between the Russian and U.S. leaders yielded no actual breakthroughs on Ukraine.
The two leaders did agree to hold more talks and Putin said he would like to meet Biden in person at some stage, Peskov revealed on Sunday.
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Biden, Putin hold video call on Ukraine and U.S.-Russia ties
(With input from Reuters)