Western nations caution, cajole Putin in bid to avert war
Biden warns of swift and severe costs to Russia, human suffering if it invades Ukraine
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KYIV • US President Joe Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday that invading Ukraine would result in "swift and severe" costs to Russia, diminish his country's standing and cause "widespread human suffering", as Western officials made a forceful diplomatic push to dissuade Mr Putin from pressing forward with an attack on the Eastern European nation.
US officials said Mr Biden discussed a range of diplomatic options with Mr Putin.
It remained uncertain if the Russian leader would invade, according to senior Biden administration officials.
But after the call between the two leaders, one official said that the situation remained urgent.
A foreign policy aide to Mr Putin, Mr Yuri Ushakov, described the call with Mr Biden as "businesslike" but overshadowed by American "hysteria" over a possibly imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He said that Mr Putin would consider Mr Biden's proposals, but that they had ignored Russia's key demands for "security guarantees" in Eastern Europe, including a legally binding halt to Nato expansion, a pullback of its military presence in the region, and that it bar Ukraine from ever joining the alliance.
Mr Ushakov also continued to reject the idea that Russia was threatening a war.
"We have repeatedly underlined that we don't understand why the news media should be given clearly false information about Russian plans," he said.
But one US national security official said that there was "no fundamental change in the dynamic that has unfolded now for several weeks", an acknowledgement that Mr Putin has continued to build up a military presence that has effectively surrounded Ukraine.
Fears are mounting that Russia's massive build-up of forces on land and at sea around Ukraine signal an imminent invasion.
But US officials believe that Mr Putin may not yet have made a final decision to invade, and the West's diplomatic scramble is continuing.
Singaporeans urged to leave Ukraine
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has advised Singaporeans in Ukraine to leave the country amid rising tensions.
In a travel advisory issued last night, MFA said Singaporeans are advised to leave Ukraine as soon as possible via commercial means while it is still possible to do so.
It said the ministry may not be in a position to assist with departure if conflict breaks out, adding that Singapore does not have a diplomatic mission in Ukraine.
Singaporeans who are still in Ukraine should e-register at eregister.mfa.gov.sg, and those requiring consular assistance can contact the MFA Duty Office (24 hours) on:
Tel: +65 6379-8800/55 Fax: +65 6476-7302
France's President Emmanuel Macron spent an hour and 40 minutes on the phone with Mr Putin on Saturday, during which the Russian leader gave "no indication that he is going on the offensive" and preparing to invade Ukraine, a French presidency official said.
"We are nevertheless extremely vigilant and alert to the Russian (military) posture in order to avoid the worst, the official said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin also made separate calls to their Russian counterparts.
The threat of invasion overshadowed Mr Blinken's week-long diplomatic trip in the Asia-Pacific, which had been aimed at assuring countries in the region that Washington remains deeply attentive to their issues.
At every stop of the trip - Australia, Fiji and Hawaii - the Ukraine crisis had nearly all of Washington's attention, as Mr Blinken spent much of his travel time liaising with allies and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the matter.
And at each press conference, meant to showcase the US' dedication to Asia-Pacific affairs, attention was instead fixed on Mr Blinken's statement that Russia could attack Ukraine within days.
In Honolulu on Saturday, the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine also filtered into the tripartite talks that Mr Blinken was holding with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea.
A war would cause economic disruptions that could reach Asia, and Japan has been asked to allow some of its LNG supplies to be diverted to Europe if Russian natural gas to Europe is cut off.
Over in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky continued to play down the threat of a Russian invasion, expressing frustration with Washington.
"The best friend for enemies is panic in our country," he told reporters in English, while observing a police training exercise in southern Ukraine.
"And all this information - that helps only for panic, (it) doesn't help us."
Mr Putin is likely to offer more public clues to his position in the coming days.
Mr Ushakov said Russia's response to US security proposals would soon be made public.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will travel to Moscow tomorrow, after holding talks in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv today.
On Wednesday - the day that US officials have said a Russian invasion could begin - Mr Putin is scheduled to host President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil in Moscow.
NYTIMES, REUTERS
