WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron pledged yesterday to coordinate their response to Russia’s military build-up on the Ukrainian border, the White House said.
In a call made shortly after Macron said he might visit Russia to seek a diplomatic solution, the French leader and Biden “affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the White House said.
They also reviewed “ongoing coordination on both diplomacy and preparations to impose swift and severe economic costs on Russia should it further invade Ukraine,” a statement said.
“President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues.”
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 heavily armed troops around Ukraine. The United States and its allies accuse Moscow of preparing to invade the former Soviet republic, which has ambitions of joining Western institutions, including NATO.
Moscow says the troops are there because of threats from the United States and its allies. – AFP, February 3, 2022
