US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin said they would hold a video call on Tuesday, and the two leaders would discuss the situation in Ukraine.
More than 94,000 Russian troops are believed to be massed near Ukraine’s bordersUS President Joe Biden rejected Russian demands for security guarantees in the regionMoscow accuses Kyiv of pursuing its own military build-up.
Biden will emphasize the US concern over the actions of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and reaffirm the support of the United States and the sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine’s territory, “White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.
He said other topics would include “strategic stability, cyber news and regions”.
The two will also discuss bilateral relations and the implementation of agreements reached at their Geneva summit in June, the Kremlin said on Saturday.
“The discussion will take place on Tuesday,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“The relationship between the two countries, of course, Ukraine and the implementation of the agreements reached in Geneva are [key] elements on the agenda,” he said.
The exact call time was not disclosed.
More than 94,000 Russian troops are believed to have gathered near the Ukrainian border. Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday that Moscow was likely planning a major military offensive in late January, citing intelligence reports.
U.S. officials have reached similar conclusions, they said.
‘I do not accept anyone’s red line’
Mr Biden, on the other hand, has rejected Russia’s demands for security in the region.
"I expect we will have a long conversation with Putin," Mr Biden told reporters on Friday as he embarked on a weekend trip to Camp David.“I do not accept human red lines,” he said.
The US president said he and his advisers were preparing a comprehensive set of measures aimed at preventing Russian civilians from being attacked.
He did not provide further details, but officials agreed to work with European partners to impose more sanctions on Russia.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Washington was separately committed to ensuring that Ukraine had what it needed to protect its territory.
Mr Austin added that there was a lot of room for diplomacy and leadership to work in Ukraine.
Moscow accuses Kyiv of pursuing its own troops. He dismissed it as a provocative suggestion that it was preparing to attack its southern neighbor and defend its right to deploy troops in its territory at its discretion.
U.S. officials say they do not yet know what Putin’s intentions are, including whether Mr. Putin has already decided to invade Ukraine.
For years the relationship between the US and Russia has improved, especially since Russia took Crimea to Ukraine in 2014, its 2015 intervention in Syria and American intelligence cases of interfering in the 2016 elections won by then-current president Donald Trump.
However, the relationship has deteriorated in recent months.
Biden officials have asked Moscow to reject ransomware attacks and cybercrime from Russian soil.
In November, both Ukrainian and Russian nationals were charged with aggravated ransomware attacks against US targets.
Russia has repeatedly denied making or tolerating cyber attacks.
The two leaders have had one-on-one meeting since Mr Biden took office in January, sitting on negotiations in Geneva in June.
They last spoke by telephone on July 9. Mr Biden enjoys direct discussions with world leaders, which he sees as a way to reduce tensions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Stockholm earlier this week that the United States and its European allies would impose “cost and serious consequences on Russia if it takes aggressive action against Ukraine”.