Biden Is Left Guessing Over Putin’s Ultimate Aim in Ukraine
- Impact of leaders’ two-hour call won’t be clear for months
- Putin made no promises to withdraw troops on Ukraine border
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The video call between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin lasted about two hours. It will take months to figure out if the two sides managed to defuse the crisis over Ukraine.
Biden sought to send a clear message: Russia must not go ahead with an invasion of Ukraine as the U.S. fears it might, and would face massive economic sanctions if it does. Putin, meanwhile, wanted the U.S. to know that Russia won’t tolerate NATO expanding further east or deploying weapons in Ukraine.