WASHINGTON, December 6, Reuters - U.S. President Joe Biden will warn Russian President Vladimir Putin of the severe economic consequences if Russia goes ahead with a invasion of Ukraine, a senior U.S. administration official said on Monday.
Biden and Putin are going to hold a video call on Tuesday as the United States attempts to head off Russia from launching military action against Ukraine after Moscow massed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border.
The United States has been working with European allies about a strong response when an invasion goes forward, according to the official who spoke ahead of the call. He said that the United States and Europe would impose severe economic pain.
Biden planned to consult European allies later in the day to stress the need for solidarity.
There is a way forward to send a clear message to Russia that there will be enduring and meaningful costs if an invasion takes place, the official said.
Russia has dismissed U.S. media reports about a possible Russian attack on Ukraine, accusing Washington of trying to aggravate the situation while blaming Moscow. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken planned a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday and Biden planned to talk to him in the days after the call, the official said.
Russia has a potential diplomatic off-ramp through the Minsk agreement if it wishes, the official said. This is a negotiated agreement aimed at ending the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine.
The Russian official said we're encouraging Russia to return to dialogue through diplomatic avenues.
The economic sanctions that are ready to be imposed would not be detailed by the official. CNN reported that they targeted Putin's inner circle and could include the extreme step of disconnecting Russia from the SWIFT international payment system used by banks around the world.
More than 94,000 Russian troops are believed to have been massed near Ukraine's borders. Ukraine Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday that Moscow may be planning a large-scale military offensive at the end of January, citing intelligence reports.
The U.S. official said it was still not clear whether Putin had made a final decision to launch an invasion.
The United States does not seek conflict with Russia, but when necessary will impose meaningful consequences for harmful actions, the official said.
Russia can move troops around Russian territory if it sees fit and that they pose no external threat.