Putin, Biden agree to hold more talks amid tensions over Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden have agreed to hold more talks amid tensions over a Russian troop build-up near Ukraine. The Kremlin said on Sunday that both leaders had agreed to hold more talks during a video call on 7th of December which focused on East-West relations, which have sunk to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War and are currently strained by the Russian troop build-up near Ukraine. 

Mr. Biden used that video call to warn Mr. Putin that the West would impose strong economic and other measures on Russia if it invades Ukraine, while the Russian



President has demanded guarantees that NATO will not expand farther eastward.

In a video released on state TV, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that apart from further NATO expansion eastwards, Russia has said it does not want certain offensive weapons deployed in countries that border it, such as Ukraine. The Kremlin spokesman said, Mr. Putin on December 7 told Mr. Biden that Russian troops were on Russian territory and did not pose a threat to anyone. He said the two leaders had agreed to hold another round of talks, maybe by video link, a format the two presidents liked.