(Washington) US President Joe Biden will consult with nine NATO Eastern European countries on Thursday on his exchange with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and fears of invading Ukraine, the House said. -White Wednesday.
Joe Biden will have a telephone conversation with “the leaders of the Bucharest Group of Nine, made up of NATO allies on the eastern flank, to summarize his meeting with President Putin, hear their views on the current security situation, and highlight the ‘US commitment to transatlantic security,’ according to a statement.
The Bucharest Group of Nine includes Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The call will come after a scheduled phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is seeking US help in pushing back what he sees as threats of invasion by Russia.
Tensions and diplomatic pressures are mounting, when Washington and its allies accuse Moscow of massing tens of thousands of soldiers on the border with Ukraine, in order to attack the country.
Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin discussed this hot issue during a two-hour virtual interview on Tuesday.
For the time being, ruling out any military intervention in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that a Russian attack in Ukraine would lead to a strengthening of the American military presence on the territories of members of the Atlantic Alliance in Eastern Europe.
The master of the Kremlin defended the right of Russia to “protect its security”, believing that letting NATO approach its borders without reacting would be “criminal”.
During his meeting with the host of the White House, Vladimir Poutine notably asked for “sure legal guarantees” which would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.