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The Kremlin hasnât yet commented publicly on the call, the second that day between the two leaders. In a readout of the earlier call published on the Russian presidentâs website, Putin supported the resumption of diplomatic discussions through the Normandy Format talks â with the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine â aimed at settling a seven-year conflict involving Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Adding to the tensions, Russia walked back on a promise to withdraw from neighboring ally Belarus following military exercises Sunday, and continues to keep 30,000 troops in place near that countryâs border with Ukraine. In total, more than 150,000 Russian troops are amassed at the Ukrainian border, marking the largest military buildup in Europe since the end of World War II. Satellite images released by U.S.-based Maxar Technologies on Sunday appeared to show new field deployments of armored equipment and troops near the border, Reuters reported.
Hereâs what to know
U.S. holds off on triggering sanctions against Russia amid expected invasion
Return to menuSenior U.S. officials defended their decision to hold off on sanctions of Russia before its potential invasion of Ukraine as President Biden huddled with top White House national security officials about the crisis and Russia kept in place thousands of troops it has deployed in neighboring Belarus despite earlier promises to withdraw them by Sunday.
Vice President Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Bidenâs assessment that Putin has made a decision to invade within days. Blinken said that follows a Russian playbook in which Moscow launches provocations before citing them as justification for aggression.
âEverything leading up to an actual invasion appears to be taking place,â Blinken said Sunday on CNNâs âState of the Union.â
But Blinken and other European officials are still leaving open the door for a diplomatic solution, and French President Emmanuel Macron attempted to broker a last-minute cease-fire deal.
Wielding the threat of war, a new, more aggressive Putin steps forward
Return to menuHe is the man with the very long table who seats world leaders and ministers at an almost comical distance. He is a lone figure in a dark coat laying a wreath at a St. Petersburg cemetery or sitting solo in his Olympic viewing booth in Beijing.
He is aging, isolated, more powerful than ever â and on the brink of waging a possibly catastrophic war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the 22 years since he first took office, has evolved from an afterthought of Washington leaders to the worldâs most watched and pleaded-with man, using reconstituted Russian military might to force the globe to reckon with his interests after having complained for years about being ignored.
His latest belligerence follows two years of pandemic isolation and eight years of Western sanctions that analysts say have fed the bunker mentality Putin has exhibited since his earliest years.
In many ways, Putin believes his time has come â at last.
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