Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin reaffirm their “red lines” in the face of the Ukraine crisis and the story will continue in Geneva

Most Ukrainians still do not believe that Russia can occupy their country. Or at least that’s what polls say and Christmas exhibitions show. Contractova Square in Kiev is overflowing with people looking for some gifts that have been forgotten in recent days or holding a spatula that can hold up to 10 degrees below zero. But still The government is taking the crisis with Russia very seriously. Across the border 100,000 players have already been deployed and 75,000 players are expected in the next few days. Satellite photographs capture thousands of tanks located in a stone-throwing field from Ukraine. In Kiev alone, with a population of three million, 4,928 shelters have already been designated in the event of an explosion. They are subway stations and old Cold War facilities, but also hundreds of unused restaurant warehouses and boiler rooms in large buildings.

US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin addressed the situation for the second time in three weeks on Thursday afternoon. The phone call was urgently requested by the Kremlin. They were talking for 50 minutes. No significant improvements. Two presidents They reaffirmed their “red lines” You cannot progress without a conflict.

President Biden made it clear that the United States and its allies and partners Russia will respond decisively if it continues to occupy UkraineWhite House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Kremlin spokesman Yuri Ushakov assured Putin that any sanctions could “break the ties between Russia and the United States.” This is a big mistake and it can have serious consequences”. He added that “Russia will act as the United States does if offensive weapons are deployed near US borders.” After this tense exchange, both leaders agreed Negotiations will continue from January 10 in Geneva, Where they will be represented by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Russian Deputy Secretary of State Sergei Rybkov.

The Kremlin promises military stability “To persuade” Do not place NATO, a Western military ally, in Ukraine because it could endanger Russian security. Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but The coalition pledged to defend the sovereignty of the former Soviet republicIt has been allied with the West since 2014, with Moscow occupying and annexing the Crimean Peninsula and Kremlin-backed separatists occupying a territory in eastern Ukraine that has provoked a conflict that is still dormant and has killed more than 14,000 people. Kiev wants to join NATO and the European Union. Russia does not want that to happen. Putin has pointed out that Ukraine’s entry into NATO is a “red line” that Russia does not approve of. In his lengthy article published in August, he described Ukraine as part of Moscow’s sphere of influence. “Ukraine can be truly sovereign with Russia”.

Putin has warned against the West on several occasions Establishment of missile defense systems in Ukraine, similar to those in Romania and Poland, Says they could be covert attack weapons capable of reaching Moscow in 10 minutes. To reinforce these demands, the Kremlin test last week removed Salvo Hypersonic missiles can reach any capital of Northern Europe At the same time. For its part, Washington is seeking to establish a unified NATO position that would include new military aid or sanctions that would prevent any new military action by Russia. Avoid justifying Putin Must respond with an invasion.

They say in the corridors of the State Department Putin wants Biden to sign a long-term security agreement within two weeks By doing so, Ukraine will not be able to join NATO and will refuse to further expand its alliance with the East. At the Kremlin they knew it was impossible to reach that level of agreement in 15 days and they read it at the Pentagon. The excuse for launching a military operation at the end of January. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the subject of the talks was “too complicated” and that was why the discussion was needed ahead of the January 10 technical meeting between top leaders. “Any conversation is conducted with the same purpose: to reach a compromise, taking into account the basic status of each,” Peskov said. “Russia has never been a source of tension, and it has never been a major source of tension. We have always said that Russia has taken and will take the necessary steps for its security.Peskov told the Kremlin authorized reporters.

First video conference on December 7, Biden warned Putin about tough new sanctions He said the Kremlin’s ignored threat was being used for Western sanctions if Russia stepped up its actions against Ukraine. Putin made it clear last week that he was not going to wait long to get the written security guarantees he demanded. He said he was not interested in negotiations and was only interested in the outcome. “You have to guarantee us and do it right away.”When asked if he rejects the invasion of Ukraine, he said at his annual press conference. “America just came to our house with missiles and is already on our doorstep.”

In the latter, Biden made it clear to Putin that the United States was ready to pursue diplomacy. In response to sanctions, NATO reinforcements and further incursions by the military to assist the Ukrainians in defending themselves.. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that the United States has a list of security concerns about Russia’s actions. An analysis of US intelligence services released by The Washington Post indicates that Russia is already preparing to deploy troops and supplies for the invasion. The White House believes Putin has not made that decision.

Despite that Zircon set the Christmas Eve launch alarms of hypersonic missiles The guard who monitors these displacements in the U.S. military machine. The words of spokesman Dmitry Pesco were also very aggressive when justifying missile deployment. He said Russia expects their demands “Thus promise more.” Putin, who has repeatedly boasted that Russia is the world leader in hypersonic missile technology, described the launch as “a significant step in our country’s lives and a significant step in enhancing Russia’s security”. For his part, Vice-President Sergei Rybkov warned that tensions around Ukraine could change. A scene similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis, The conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union in 1962 over the construction of Russian missile bases on the Caribbean island, which brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. And Nikolai Badrushev, President of the Russian Security Council, in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda Defined Ukraine as a “security” And predicts: “The potential for tensions in Ukraine is very strong, with millions of Ukrainians taking refuge under their homes.”

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