Biden, Putin square off as tension grows on Ukraine border | Dec. 8, 2021 |

Face to face for over two hours, President Joe Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin squared off in a secure video call as the U.S. president put Moscow on notice that an invasion of Ukraine would bring sanctions and enormous harm to the Russian economy.

Putin, for his part, came into the meeting seeking guarantees from Biden that the NATO military alliance will never expand to include Ukraine, which has long sought membership. The Americans and their NATO allies said that request was a non-starter.

There appeared to be no immediate breakthroughs to ease tensions on the Ukraine question, as the U.S. emphasized a need for diplomacy and de-escalation and issued stern threats to Russia on the consequences of an invasion.

Biden "told President Putin directly that if Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States and our European allies would respond with strong economic measures," U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said after the call.

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'Sapere aude'