Michael Newman, Columnist

What Did Biden Say to Putin, and What Should Happen Next?

The U.S. and Europe need to present a united front to head off a ground war.

December 7, 2021 at 9:50 PM UTC

Michael Newman is an editor for Bloomberg Opinion. He has previously been an editor and writer at Slate and for the opinion pages of the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.

Mute-button diplomacy.
Photographer: MIKHAIL METZEL/AFP

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The American and Russian presidents met today in what could be the most consequential summit in Ukrainian history. Details of the video conference between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin are still trickling out, but with up to 175,000 Russian troops massing on the Ukrainian border, Biden “reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and vowed the U.S. would respond with “strong economic and other measures” if Russia invaded.