Biden and Putin hold high-stakes call as Ukraine tensions mount

As concern grows over the buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine’s borders, the Pentagon released a statement giving details about the different troops currently training Ukrainian forces, as well as the various brigades throughout Europe.

The Florida National Guard’s Task Force Gator recently arrived in Ukraine as part of the Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine (JMTG-U) mission, designed to improve the country’s defensive capabilities, the Pentagon said. The JMTG-U was established in 2015, one year after Ukraine was slow to respond to Russia’s invasion of Crimea. 

In addition to Task Force Gator, Special Operations Command Europe has a “large role” in training and advising Ukrainian special forces through exercises, communication and coordination “at every echelon,” the statement said.

The Pentagon did not disclose how many special forces were in Ukraine because of operational security concerns. 

The Pentagon would not go into detail about timelines for training, operations or deployments, nor would it say if any schedules have changed in light of the buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine.

Marines from Europe and the region operate throughout the continent for training and exercises, the Pentagon said, and thousands of Marines from II Marine Expeditionary Force will take part next year in the biannual Cold Response exercise in Norway.

Some background: Since 2014, the US has committed more than $2.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, the Pentagon said. That assistance has included radars, anti-drone systems, secure communications, medical gear, armed patrol boats and Javelin anti-tank systems.

The Biden administration is exploring options for a potential evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine if Russia were to invade the country and create a dire security situation, half a dozen sources tell CNN.

Should such a military escalation occur, Victoria Nuland, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, told CNN’s Jake Tapper that US citizens in Ukraine will be properly alerted ahead of time.

Asked to estimate how many US citizens may be living in Ukraine, Nuland said, “It’s in the ten to 15,000 person range.”

“Obviously with regard to any kind of military contingency, we also have to be thinking ahead and not be caught flat-footed,” she added.

It is still unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade, US officials stressed. But he has amassed enough forces, equipment and supplies near Ukraine’s borders that he could move to attack on very short notice.

Nuland noted that President Biden and American allies are making Putin aware of the consequences should the Russian leader choose to invade neighboring Ukraine.

“This highly unnecessary war will not only be bloody, it will also be extremely painfully economically for the average Russian and for the Russian state,” she said.

White House Press Secretary Jennifer Psaki speaks during the daily press briefing on December 7, in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC.

The White House relayed on Tuesday that while conversations are being had with Germany about the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, in the context of a potential invasion of Ukraine by Russia, taking action may not necessarily be the most effective deterrent against Russian aggression. 

What is Nord Stream 2? It’s a controversial pipeline that was built to ferry natural gas from Russia to Germany and has raised concerns about Moscow’s ability to use energy supplies as leverage over Europe.

Later in the briefing, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked what might happen to Nord Stream 2 if Russia moves forward with invading Ukraine. 

She referenced a joint statement from July by the US and Germany saying, “what it conveyed in there is … that action would be taken if ‘Russia attempts to use energy as a weapon or commit further aggressive acts against Ukraine.’ Obviously, invading Ukraine would be an aggressive act.” 

Psaki added that current comprehensive planning and preparation is being done, in part, “because we did learn some lessons in 2014” when Russia occupied Crimea. But she pushed back on members of Congress suggesting that further action on Nord Stream 2 “is the answer,” saying that it “would actually not be an effective deterrent.” 

“That is not effectively going to change the behavior of President Putin,” she continued. 

“So yes, Germany, in our joint statement, made these commitments. There are a range of economic tools and options we have, our European partners have, should they decide to invade. Obviously, our preference is that we not get to that point,” Psaki said. 

 CNN’s Nicole Gaouette contributed reporting to this post. 

The Biden administration is exploring options for a potential evacuation of US citizens from Ukraine if Russia were to invade the country and create a dire security situation, half a dozen sources tell CNN.

The contingency planning is being led by the Pentagon, the sources said, and comes as the administration briefs Congress on how the US is preparing. In a “gloomy” briefing to senators by senior State Department official Victoria Nuland on Monday night, Nuland outlined the tough sanctions package being prepared by the administration in response to a potential Russian attack, but acknowledged that the US’ options to deter an invasion are fairly limited, a person familiar with the briefing said.

It is still unclear whether Russian President Vladimir Putin has made the decision to invade, US officials stressed. But he has amassed enough forces, equipment and supplies near Ukraine’s borders that he could move to attack on very short notice.

The administration does not currently see a need for evacuations, the sources stressed —airlines are still operating from Ukraine’s international airports and land borders to Ukraine’s western neighbors are open. The discussions are part of planning in the event the security situation severely deteriorates, multiple officials involved in the planning emphasized.

The Defense Department and State Department have plans ready for worst-case scenarios in countries around the world, and plans are updated and changed in light of the situation on the ground. But an evacuation of diplomatic staff from Ukraine remains very unlikely.

Even if Ukraine is not a NATO member, the White House sees the country as a key Eastern European ally, and there is a strategic benefit in the presence of US diplomats and training forces in Ukraine. That makes a drawdown of the US footprint there far less likely than, for example, the drawdown of US diplomats and troops in Afghanistan.

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President Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom — know as the “Quint” group — Tuesday to brief them on his discussion with the Russian President Vladimir Putin, a statement from the Elysee Palace said. 

The five leaders “reaffirmed their determination to work together to guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and ensure that its stability and security are guaranteed” the statement said. 

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the need to continue exploring avenues for de-escalation, the statement said, adding that the French leader is due to meet the incoming German Chancellor Olaf Scholz this Friday in Paris to examine means to reengage Russia in the Normandy agreement.

President Biden told his Russian counterpart Tuesday the United States is ready to take steps it previously avoided should he decide to move ahead with an invasion of Ukraine.

A package of US sanctions and non-lethal aid to Ukraine did not prevent Russia from annexing Crimea in 2014, when Biden was serving as vice president and had been handed the Ukraine portfolio by then-President Obama.

Back then, Biden privately advocated for tougher actions against Russia, including sending lethal aid, according to people familiar with the internal dynamics of the Obama administration.

Now, Biden is warning Putin that steps the US avoided seven years ago are in play. That includes tough economic measures, supplying Ukraine with additional material and increasing US troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank.

Sullivan declined to lay out in specific terms what steps Biden warned Putin of.

“We would prefer to communicate that directly to the Russians, to not negotiate in public, to not telegraph our punches,” he said. “But we are laying out for the Russians in some detail the types of measures that we have in mind. We are also coordinating closely with our European allies on that at a level of deep specificity.”

Joint Chief Chairman Gen. Mark Milley is seen in July.

The top US general said there is “a lot of space” for “diplomatic off ramps and de-escalation” with Russia.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal’s CEO Summit, Joint Chief Chairman Gen. Mark Milley said the buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine was different in “the scale and the scope” than the buildup this past spring.

Milley spoke to his European counterparts yesterday as part of the NATO Military Committee. 

“I can tell you that there’s a great deal of resolve, but the situation is quite serious and we’ll see where it goes,” he said. “There’s a lot of concern out there.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said President Biden was “direct and straightforward” in his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that Biden conveyed the US will respond to further Russian escalation in Ukraine with “specific robust clear responses” if required.

“We would provide additional defensive material to the Ukrainian’s above and beyond that which we are already providing. And we would fortify our NATO allies on the eastern flank with additional capabilities in response to such an escalation.”

Biden also told Putin there’s “another option” of “de-escalation and diplomacy” pointing to actions taken following the Cold War.

Sullivan said there was “a lot of give and take” on the call adding, “There was no finger waging. But the President was crystal clear about where the United States stands on all of these issues.”

Sullivan said Biden “welcomed” the opportunity to engage “clearly and directly” with Putin.

Sullivan added that after the call Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and the UK to debrief them and will be speaking the leaders of both houses of congress shortly.

Biden will also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

On next steps, Biden and Putin agreed that their teams would follow up on items discussed Tuesday, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said that in addition to diplomatic channels, the US will also prepare for all contingencies including “through the preparation of specific responses to Russian escalation should they be required.”

President Biden “voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine” and made clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the US and its allies “would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,” according to a White House readout of the call.

The two leaders also discussed “the U.S.-Russia dialogue on Strategic Stability, a separate dialogue on ransomware, as well as joint work on regional issues such as Iran.”

The call lasted two hours and one minute. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will brief reporters at 2 p.m. ET from the White House briefing room.

The European Union “continues to fully support Ukraine in the face of the Russian aggression,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a tweet on Tuesday.

Her comments came amid talks between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine.

She also said the EU was “ready to take additional restrictive measures, in coordination with our partners.”

“The rise of extremism and autocracy can also be a security issue for countries. In this context, we must also speak about the Russian military movements and their massive build-up along Ukraine’s eastern border,” she continued.

“We must protect our societies and democracies from this kind of cynical geopolitical powerplay. And the European Union will respond appropriately to any further aggressions, including breaches of international law and any other malicious action, taken against us or our neighbors, including Ukraine,” she added.

She said the EU’s response would take the form of “a robust scaling up and expansion of existing sanctions regimes.”

“To be very clear: we would rather engage constructively with Moscow, but it depends on them. And currently, it is Russia’s deliberate choices and aggressive actions that continue to destabilize security in Europe,” she said.

In an exclusive interview with CNN’s Matthew Chance, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov urged President Biden to stand firm against Moscow ahead of the call.

“The idea, don’t provoke Russia will not work,” he added.

Watch the interview here.

Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan plans to brief reporters this afternoon at 2 p.m. ET from the White House.

President Biden, meanwhile, will speak this afternoon with leaders from Europe following his high-stakes video conference with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. 

The White House says Biden will speak with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom.

He spoke to the same group on Monday ahead of his call with Putin. “The leaders agreed to stay in close touch on a coordinated and comprehensive approach in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders,” a White House official said.

Russian state TV broadcasted the first pictures of the Biden-Putin video call. 

President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin could be heard greeting one another. 

Putin is heard saying “Greetings, Mr. President.”

In the clip that was shared by state media, Biden said: “Hello, good to see you again. I.. unfortunately, last time we didn’t get to see one another at the G20. I hope the next time we meet we do it in person.”

A female consecutive translator can be heard translating Biden’s comments to Putin.

Pesident Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for about two hours over a secure video call on Tuesday in what had been expected to be a highly consequential meeting for the two leaders amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

During the last several months, Russia has erected supply lines, including medical units and fuel, that could sustain a drawn-out conflict should Moscow choose to invade Ukraine, two sources familiar with the latest intelligence assessments told CNN. And recent US intelligence findings estimate Russia could begin a military offensive in Ukraine in a matter of months as it amasses up to 175,000 troops along the border.

The meeting began at 10:07 a.m. ET and ended at 12:08 p.m. ET, according to the White House.

In what was expected to be one of the most pivotal foreign policy meetings of Biden’s still-young presidency, the President was expected to lay out to Putin what sanctions and other actions the US could take if the Russian President decides to invade Ukraine.

The US intelligence community believes Putin has still not made up his mind to launch a military offensive against Ukraine, and Biden had planned to tell Putin the US is prepared to take “substantive economic countermeasures” meant to inflict “significant and severe economic harm on the Russian economy” should Putin go ahead with a military escalation, a senior administration official told reporters Monday.

The two leaders took part in a summit in Geneva last June. Their last publicly known call was in July.

Later Tuesday afternoon, following the call, Biden will speak with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom — the same group of European allies he conferred with Monday night. Tuesday marks Merkel’s final full day in office.

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