US coordinates positions on Ukraine as Putin requests call with Biden

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held calls with
President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as with the foreign ministers of the UK,
France, and Germany on Dec. 29. In both calls, Blinken reiterated the U.S.
position of unwavering support for Ukraine and the allies’ consensus on Russian
aggression. In particular, Department of State Spokesperson Ned Price stated
that Blinken and Zelensky discussed “the upcoming diplomatic engagements with
Russia,” the State Department announced. In the call with the FMs, all agreed
on the need for coordinated action to counter further Russian aggression and
“to impose massive consequences and severe costs on Russia for such actions.”

The moves come as the White House announced on Dec. 29
that a call between presidents Biden and Putin will take place on Dec. 30, at
Putin’s request, washingtonpost.com reported on Dec. 29. Meetings have already
been scheduled for the week of Jan. 10, 2022, between Russia and the U.S., NATO
and OSCE.

James Hydzik: The steady
beat of calls to emphasize solidarity seem to have worked against Russia’s
strong-arm attempt to separate the U.S. from its partners earlier this month.
Today’s call between Putin and Biden will be another attempt to do so by softer
means, and it is expected that Biden will only agree to bilateral talks or
face-to-face meetings as part of a position coordinated with Ukraine and other
partners.