US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Photo: Bloomberg) |
But the same day US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on NBC that it is unlikely that a face-to-face meeting between Biden and Putin will take place as Russia builds up its military along its border with Ukraine.
Blinken said the US and its allies want to see Russia pull back from the border and have a diplomatic dialogue with the Europeans and Ukraine to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
In last week’s video call, Biden warned that the US and its allies will impose strong economic and “other measures” on Russia if it commits military acts against Ukraine. But US officials insist military retaliation is not on the table.