WASHINGTON, February 12. /TASS/. Presidents Joe Biden of the United States and Vladimir Putin of Russia agreed that the two countries’ teams will stay engaged in the coming days, a senior US administration official said at a briefing dedicated to Saturday’s phone call between the two countries’ leaders.
"The two presidents agreed that our teams will stay engaged in the days ahead," he said. "Russia may decide to proceed with military action anyway. Indeed, that is a distinct possibility," the official added.
According to him, "if it does, the damage to Ukraine, European security and Russia will be profound." "That is an outcome President Biden believes we should continue to work hard to avert," the official stressed.
The West and Kiev have recently been echoing allegations about Russia's potential invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov castigated these claims as "empty and unfounded," serving as a ploy to escalate tensions, pointing out that Russia did not pose any threat whatsoever to anyone. However, Peskov did not rule out the possibility of provocations aimed at justifying such claims and warned that attempts to use military force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.