Since then, as many as 100,000 Russian troops have gathered on the Ukrainian border, despite warnings from Biden and European leaders of dire consequences if Putin proceeds with an invasion. US officials also say Moscow is engaged in a massive disinformation campaign designed to undermine the Ukrainian government ahead of that country’s national elections.
Biden made the call from his home in Wilmington, Delaware.
Ahead of Thursday’s discussion, the US Air Force flew another spy plane over eastern Ukraine to gather intelligence on the military situation on the ground, a source familiar with the mission told DailyExpertNews.
It was the second time this week that the US conducted such a mission using the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).
The maiden flight, on Monday, marked the first time a JSTARS aircraft had ever flown over the region, Lt. cmdr. Russ Wolfkiel, a spokesman for the US European Command, told DailyExpertNews. Wolfkiel told DailyExpertNews that the US “routinely operates aircraft in the Black Sea region in support of various US and coalition intelligence targets,” but the flights come as the US tries to gather intelligence on Russian troop movements along the border with Ukraine.
The JSTARS system can track ground vehicles as they move, collect images and relay photos and traces of moving formations to ground and air commanders, allowing the US and its allies to track Russian forces. An onboard antenna has a 120-degree field of view that can cover nearly 20,000 square miles to track ground movements, according to an Air Force fact sheet, and can also detect aircraft.
Talks between Biden and Putin come about two weeks before US and Russian diplomats will meet in Geneva to discuss the ongoing crisis. In the run-up to those talks, Russia publicly offered a list of security concerns and demands it wants to address, including a commitment that Ukraine should never join NATO and that Alliance military equipment should not be placed in its former Soviet states. .
The United States has prepared its own list of concerns, a senior US government official told reporters on Wednesday, but has no plans to make it public. Instead, Biden’s advisers think it will be more fruitful to keep the negotiations private.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will lead the US delegation to the talks, scheduled for Jan. 10, multiple sources familiar with the matter told DailyExpertNews. Biden and Putin are not expected to participate themselves. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov will lead the Russian delegation. Pentagon and National Security Council officials will also attend talks on the US side, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
Direct US-Russia talks will be followed by wider NATO-Russia meetings, along with a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, which will cover a range of topics.
The US has promised to keep Western European countries and Ukraine itself informed as Biden engages Putin diplomatically. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday, and White House officials said they were in almost daily contact with colleagues from the United Kingdom, France and Germany to coordinate their response.
“There is a significant amount of security coordination between Ukraine and the United States, and coordination has only intensified in recent weeks,” said an adviser to Zelensky.
The US has been able to convince its allies to prepare a series of tough sanctions, including against some of Putin’s key allies, as part of a coordinated approach. US officials have said the punishment would be much harsher than those imposed in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea.
The US has also “made plans to bolster NATO forces in Eastern Europe” if Russia attacks Ukraine, an official said, and is willing to provide further assistance to Ukraine to help the country defend itself if necessary.
Since Biden last spoke with Putin, there has been no indication that Russia is easing its stance on its border with Ukraine, although a senior government official said the situation was fluid.
“It’s not completely static from our perspective,” the official said. “It remains an ongoing source of serious concern what the Russians have set up in and around that border area.”
The Russian build-up includes troops, artillery, vehicles and supply lines, officials have said. Earlier this week, Russia announced it would withdraw 10,000 troops to their regular barracks. But US officials suggested the move did not amount to a major de-escalation.
Meanwhile, the US has maintained its own position in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and its escort ships to remain in the Mediterranean rather than to the Middle East as part of an effort to reassure Europe’s allies.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated when the first surveillance flight took place over eastern Ukraine. It was on Monday.
Natasha Bertrand of DailyExpertNews contributed to this report.