President Biden is set to speak with key European allies to “coordinate his message” ahead of his private video conference call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, a senior administration official said, as the president plans to “make clear” that there will be “very real costs” should Russia choose to proceed with a potential invasion of Ukraine.
A senior administration official previewed Biden’s call with Putin, which is set to take place Tuesday evening, as tensions between the United States and Russia escalate over a Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border— a signal of a potential Kremlin invasion.
Biden is set to speak with key European allies Monday to ensure “allied unity and strong transatlantic solidarity” on the path forward, the official said, adding that Biden administration officials will continue weeks of “intense diplomacy” and discussions with both the Russians and the Ukrainians.
A senior U.S. defense official confirmed to Fox News that U.S. intelligence shows signs that Putin plans to invade Ukraine on multiple fronts using 175,000 troops in early 2022 something the U.S. government is taking seriously.
At this point, Russia has approximately 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
The official noted that U.S. intelligence has seen the “movement of additional capabilities and forces to the vicinity of Ukraine in multiple different areas,” saying the movements are “consistent with the planning that we see underway for a military escalation in Ukraine.”
