WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – President Joe Biden is resuming his telephone diplomacy over the Russian troop buildup near its border with Ukraine, coordinating with Ukraine’s leader on strategy to de-escalate a crisis that Moscow says could rupture ties with Washington.
Biden’s planned call Sunday with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy comes as the United States has made little progress in efforts to persuade Russia’s Vladimir Putin to ease tensions.
Biden, who spoke with Putin for nearly an hour on Thursday, told reporters that next day that he warned Putin that his economy would pay a “heavy price” if Russia, which has massed some 100,000 troops near the border, made further moves against Ukraine.
U.S. and Russian officials say deep differences remain about finding a resolution.
“I’m not going to negotiate here in public, but we made it clear that he cannot — I emphasize cannot — move on Ukraine,” Biden said Friday.