Biden offers to meet Putin over Ukraine border crisis
JOE BIDEN last night proposed a summit with Vladimir Putin to be hosted by a third country as he ratcheted up pressure on the Russian president over Ukraine and called on the Kremlin to “de-escalate tensions” there.
The move came as Mr Biden also decided all US troops would leave Afghanistan by Sept 11, the 20th anniversary of the al-qaeda terrorist attacks on US soil, ending American involvement in its longest war.
And it was reported last night that Britain will withdraw nearly all of its 750 troops stationed in Afghanistan after Mr Biden’s announcement. British troops are heavily reliant upon US infrastructure and bases in the country.
The US president was expected to address the nation today to announce his timeline for the Afghanistan withdrawal, which represented a five-month delay from the May 1 deadline agreed by his predecessor, Donald Trump.
Amid growing tensions between Ukraine and Russia, Mr Biden called Mr Putin for their second phone conversation since he took office. He raised the recent Russian military build-up in Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders.
Russia has been amassing troops near Ukrainian territory for more than three weeks after hostilities between Russian-backed separatists and government troops in eastern Ukraine flared up, breaking a months-long ceasefire.
It is the largest massing of Russian forces – with thousands of combatready troops – since Moscow seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
A White House spokesman said: “President Biden emphasised the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The Kremlin confirmed that Mr Biden had proposed a high-level meeting with Mr Putin but gave no indication of how the Russian leader had responded. Moscow said Washington had initiated the call, and that Mr Putin had explained to Mr Biden his views on eastern Ukraine.
Two US warships are due to arrive in the Black Sea this week. In words recalling the Cold War, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, called the US an “adversary” and accused it of provocation.
He said: “We warn the United States that it will be better for them to stay far away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast. It will be for their own good.”
Russia said it was sending 15 warships to the Black Sea for drills.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato Secretary General, pledged the military alliance’s “unwavering support” to Ukraine.
He said: “Russia’s considerable military build-up is unjustified and unexplained and deeply concerning.
“Russia must end this military buildup in and around Ukraine, stop its provocations and de-escalate immediately.”
Tony Blinken, the US secretary of state, who was in Brussels, said Mr Biden had told Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, that the US was “firmly behind” his country.
Mr Biden’s decision to keep thousands of troops in Afghanistan beyond May 1 went against a deadline that was negotiated last year with the Taliban.
Officially, there are 2,500 US troops in Afghanistan, although the number fluctuates and is currently around 3,500.
Postponing the US withdrawal carries the risk of the Taliban resuming attacks on US and coalition forces. In a statement last month, it threatened to resume hostilities against foreign troops in Afghanistan if they did not meet the May 1 deadline.
Opponents of a withdrawal have argued that it will leave the US more vulnerable to future terrorist threats.
In a recent report the Afghan Study Group, a bipartisan body of experts, said: “It would also have catastrophic effects in Afghanistan and the region that would not be in the interest of any of the key actors.”
However, the White House said that Mr Biden believed there was “not a military solution to Afghanistan, and that we have been there for far too long.”
Lloyd Austin, the American defence secretary, announced that he is expanding the US military presence in Germany by 500 troops, and has stopped planning for the large-scale cuts, ordered by Trump, to the number of troops stationed in the country.