Tensions In Ukraine Rise, President Biden Talks 50 Minutes With President Putin Called

JAKARTA - United States (US) President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for about 50 minutes on the phone, amid rising tensions at the Ukrainian border on Thursday.

The phone call requested by Putin began at 3:35 p.m. local time. Both the White House and the Kremlin are expected to provide summaries of their calls soon.

President Biden and President Putin are expected to discuss a wide range of topics, not only the tense situation in Europe but also the slow-paced negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program.

Separately, Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov in a statement to reporters before the conversation between the two leaders, implied the material and the results achieved would not be disclosed to the public.

"This time it's about a telephone conversation, a regular phone call. Thus, there will be no public share," Peskov quoted TASS as saying.

Nevertheless, Peskov said the conversation requested by President Putin was very clear from the start.

"The goal is to continue to discuss issues that were on their recent video call agenda. In addition, they will also discuss a number of pressing issues related to the talks which will be held on January 10-12," explained Peskov.

This will be the second conversation between the two presidents this month. Earlier, President Putin and President Biden held a two-hour video call on December 7, focusing on the situation around Ukraine. They also discussed bilateral relations, cybersecurity issues and the Iran nuclear deal.

Moscow has alarmed the West by deploying tens of thousands of troops near its border with Ukraine in the past two months, following the seizure of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and its support for separatists fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Russia denies planning to attack Ukraine and says it has the right to move its troops on its own territory at will.

Instead, Moscow is concerned about what it says is the West rearming Ukraine, says it wants legally binding guarantees that NATO won't expand further east, and that certain offensive weapons will not be deployed to Ukraine or other neighbours.

To note, leaders-level talks take place ahead of the January 10 US-Russia security meeting, followed by the Russia-NATO session on January 12, and a wider conference including Moscow, Washington and other European countries scheduled for January 13.