SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S. President Joe Biden said on Saturday that he told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that Russia would pay “a terrible price” if it invaded Ukraine.
Biden and Putin held two hours of virtual talks on Ukraine and other disputes in a video call about U.S.-Russian relations on December 7.
Biden said he had made clear to the Russian leader that Russia’s standing in the world would change “markedly” in the event f an incursion into Ukraine, according to Reuters.
“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 told reporters on Saturday.
Biden also said the possibility of sending U.S. ground combat troops to Ukraine in the event of a Russian invasion was “never on the table,” Reuters reported.
Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven richest democracies on Saturday sent a similar message to Moscow after a meeting in Liverpool, warning of dire consequences for any incursion and urging Moscow to return to the negotiating table.
G7 finance ministers are meeting virtually on Monday to review economic concerns, including inflation, but will also touch on potential sanctions against Russia if it moves against Ukraine, officials said.
Relations between the United States and Russia have sunk to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War more than three decades ago.
The White House said last week that Biden had made “clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation”.
Putin responded to the warning with a demand for reliable, legally binding guarantees against NATO expansion eastward and complained about NATO attempts to “develop” Ukrainian territory, Reuters cited Kremlin as saying last week.
Ukraine has accused Russia of massing tens of thousands of troops in preparation for a possible large-scale military offensive.
Russia denies planning any attack and accuses Ukraine and the United States of destabilizing behavior, and has said it needs security guarantees for its own protection.
