Biden voices deep concern to Putin over Russian military build up near Ukraine

President Biden held a two-hour long video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday, at a tense time in U.S. and European relations with Moscow over the buildup of Russian troops surrounding Ukraine.

According to a White House readout of the conversation, Biden "voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia's escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation."

Updated December 7, 2021 at 3:55 PM ET

Biden also "reiterated his support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy," according to the readout.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Biden was "direct and straightforward with Putin," and characterized the meeting as "useful." Sullivan said there was a lot of give and take between the two leaders but "no finger wagging."

It's estimated nearly 100,000 Russian troops have been amassed at Russia's border with Ukraine, prompting fears that Russia is preparing to launch a military invasion of its neighbor to the west, is it did in 2014, when it annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

"We still do not believe Putin has made a decision" about whether to invade, Sullivan said, adding that Biden laid out "very clearly the consequences if he decides to move."

Sullivan said should Russia invade Ukraine again, Biden told Putin the U.S. is prepared to take a number of actions, including unspecified economic sanctions as well as providing additional weapons and troop deployments to NATO's eastern flank countries.

After his call with Putin, Sullivan said Biden also spoke with the leaders of Germany, France and the United Kingdom. The president also plans to brief congressional leaders and speak with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday. [Copyright 2021 NPR]