Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Joe Biden stressed the importance of pursuing “diplomacy and deterrence in response to Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders,” according to a White House account of a telephone conversation on February 13.
Biden repeated his commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and pledged to “respond swiftly” in the event of “further Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
Zelenskiy’s office reported that the Ukrainian president invited Biden to come to Kyiv “in the coming days.”
“I am convinced that your visit to Kyiv in the coming days…would be a powerful signal and help stabilize the situation,” the presidential office quoted Zelenskiy as saying.
The phone conversation came as Western powers continued to urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to de-escalate tensions, and several nations urged their citizens to leave Ukraine amid concerns that Moscow may be on the verge of military action against its neighbor.
Washington on February 13 increased its estimate of the number of Russian troops involved in the buildup from 100,000 to 130,000.
Kyiv also called for a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) within 48 hours for the purpose of discussing Russia’s buildup. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Moscow had not responded after Kyiv on February 11 invoked a part of the OSCE Vienna Document to demand Moscow explain its activities.
“Consequently, we take the next step,” Kuleba posted on Twitter. “If Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must fulfill its commitment to military transparency in order to deescalate tensions and enhance security for all.”
WATCH: People in Kyiv on February 12 seemed unimpressed by the news that a Russian military attack might be imminent:
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