WASHINGTON, December 3. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden is preparing a range of initiatives on Ukraine and Russia, and is maintaining constant contacts with European allies and Kiev, Biden said on Friday.
In his speech at the White House, Biden told reporters that he had been "in constant contact" with European allies and Ukraine. According to Biden, his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are taking an active part in those consultations.
"What I am doing is putting together what I believe to be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for [Russian President] Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he’s going to do," Biden said.
When asked by reporters whether he had held a telephone conversation with the Russian president earlier on Friday, Biden replied in the negative.
Statements about Russia’s potential incursion into Ukraine have recently been heard in Western countries and Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed those allegations as a hollow and groundless escalation of tension. Peskov pointed out that Russia poses no threat. However, he did not rule out the possibility of provocations to justify those statements, but warned that any attempts to solve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine by force would have the most severe implications.
Peskov assured that Russia would do its utmost to help Ukraine resolve the Donbass conflict, while remaining committed to the Normandy format and the Minsk agreements.