German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and U.S. President Joe Biden had a telephone conversation. The leaders discussed their respective conversations with President Putin and President Zelenskyy regarding Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders.
According to SueddeutscheZeitung, the parties called for the implementation of the Minsk agreements and blamed Moscow for the increased tensions.
"It is important to start a constructive dialogue on European security, implement the Minsk agreements and, with the support of Germany and France, make progress in the Normandy format. The key to this lies in Moscow," the statement reads.
At the same time, it is noted that the risk of further military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine remains, and as of now there is no significant withdrawal of Russian troops observed.
In case of further violation of Ukraine's sovereignty, Russia will face "extremely serious consequences," the statement says.
The leaders once again reaffirmed their commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and underscored the importance of continued transatlantic coordination on diplomacy and deterrence measures and the reinforcement of NATO’s eastern flank if Russia further invades Ukraine.
In turn, the press service of the White House reported that Biden and Scholz reaffirmed their
It is important to take into account that Western media tend to escalate the situation and have already announced two dates of Russia's possible attack against Ukraine, both of which passed without an escalation.