Ukraine tops the talks between Biden and Putin
Putin has warned that any sanctions against Russia would lead to severing relations with the US.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned his US counterpart Joe Biden in a 50-minute phone call that if the West decides to impose sanctions on Russia because of the situation in Ukraine, "this could lead to a severing of relations with America."
According to Kremlin Aide Yury Ushakov, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a phone call with his US counterpart Joe Biden on Friday that relations between the two countries could be severed completely if the threatened "unprecedented sanctions" become a reality.
He noted that the two presidents agreed to continue the dialogue after the New Year holidays and that "contacts at the departmental level will be maintained."
Ushakov stressed that the Russian side seeks to achieve security guarantees from the negotiations and that Biden expressed his understanding and support for this position, noting that "the security guarantees provided by Moscow should not turn into meaningless words."
He pointed out that "the Russian side will wait for specific results during two or three rounds of negotiations, before coming up with its conclusions."
Ushakov revealed that Putin assured Biden that "Russia will act as Washington would in the event that its security interests must be guaranteed."
He added, "The idea was emphasized that if negotiations on security guarantees succeed, this will lead to some normalization, and perhaps an improvement in bilateral relations in general between Moscow and Washington."
Putin discusses US sanctions
The Russian President's Aide noted that the US President brought up the sanctions, which is a hot topic in the West, but Putin responded clearly that this would be a huge mistake leading to a complete severance of relations between the two countries in case they are applied.
On the other hand, Ushakov noted that Biden also confirmed that "the United States does not intend to deploy offensive weapons in Ukraine."
The Kremlin welcomed the results of the talks that took place between the two presidents, noting that they were of a "frank and specific nature" and were "constructive".
Psaki: the US will respond in event of Russian 'invasion'
For its part, the White House said in a statement that the US President spoke with his Russian counterpart and urged Russia to reduce tensions with Ukraine.
White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement that Biden had made clear to the Russian president "made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.
Biden reiterated that "substantive progress in these dialogues can occur only in an environment of de-escalation rather than escalation."
According to the spokeswoman, Biden "expressed support for diplomacy, starting early next year with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe."
Upcoming Russian-US talks in Geneva
With the January 10 Russian-US talks in Geneva approaching, Moscow has stated that its first priority is to negotiate two treaties that redefine the security balance and security architecture in Europe.
The Kremlin believes that Russia's security requires preventing any expansion of NATO to the east and putting an end to Western military activities in Russia's vicinity, an area that Moscow considers its sphere of influence.
On December 7, the US and Russian presidents held a video-conference summit that discussed developments in Ukraine, Iran, and strategic stability.