Biden and Putin to discuss Ukraine and NATO expansion to the east

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a video meeting today. The two leaders will discuss the buildup of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and NATO expansion to the east. A range of other topics will also be touched upon, including strategic stability, cyber and regional issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to propose mutual security guarantees at the meeting with the US President, said the Kremlin spokesman, emphasizing that the main subject of discussion will be the security of Russia and NATO.

Putin recently called on NATO to stop expanding eastward, demanding written guarantees from the Western alliance. In return, Russia is ready to offer its own guarantees to the alliance, said the head of the Russian state.

"Security guarantees, of course, cannot be unilateral," Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency. According to the Kremlin, the video meeting between the US and Russian presidents will begin around 5 PM Central European Time and is expected to last until the evening.

The focus of the talks will be the increased tensions surrounding Ukraine. The US accuses Russia of massing troops on the border with Ukraine, which has fueled suspicion in the Western alliance that it is planning an invasion.

Russia denies claims that it is planning an invasion of Ukraine and claims it does not pose a threat to its neighbors. At the same time, it emphasizes that it has the right to deploy its armed forces on its territory wherever it wishes.

The chiefs of staff of the 30 NATO member countries discussed the movements of the Russian army on the Ukrainian border at an extraordinary virtual meeting on Monday evening.

NATO did not release details of the meeting, and the German news agency dpa learned that, among other things, the US information that Russia had prepared for a possible attack on Ukraine was discussed.

The Western alliance stated in an official statement only that the "defense chiefs of allied countries gathered for a virtual meeting of the Military Committee to discuss the security challenges facing the alliance, in all operational domains and in all geographical regions.".

"Defense chiefs exchanged information to interpret it jointly and strengthen the alliance's deterrence and defense mechanisms. The goal of the meeting was to promote transparency among allies and coordinate activities at the state and alliance levels," the statement added.

Biden and Putin are also expected to discuss ongoing US-Russia nuclear disarmament negotiations, cyber security, the Iranian nuclear program, and other international conflicts at the meeting on Tuesday, dpa reports.