The Presidents of Ukraine and the United States spoke by phone at 10 pm Kyiv time (3pm Washington D.C. Time) on Jan. 2, 2022.
President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted after the call that he and President Biden focused upon “the joint actions of Ukraine, U.S. and partners in keeping peace in Europe.”
“Today we are talking about the future not only of Ukraine, but also of European security and world order based on rules and democratic values,“
Zelensky stressed in his in 90-minute talk with President Biden, according to Ukrainian leader’s website on Jan. 3.
The primary topics for discussion between Presidents Zelensky and Biden were the situation in the East of Ukraine and the massive build-up of Russian troops near the border of Ukraine, according to the statement.
The leaders discussed the steps that Ukraine is taking to advance progress with the Minsk Agreements in the Normandy Four format, and the importance of continued diplomatic efforts was stressed.
Zelensky also expressed gratitude to the U.S. president for assuring him again that nothing about Ukraine will be discussed without Ukraine being fully consulted and involved.
Other issues discussed, according to the Ukrainian statement, were progress in implementing reforms in Ukraine and the de-oligarchization of Ukraine.
A statement from the U.S. perspective was issued the same evening by White House Press Secretary, Jen Psaki.
President Biden “reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” and “made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine,” she said.
Psaki added that the two leaders expressed support for diplomatic de-escalation efforts to begin on Jan. 9 and 10 with Strategic Stability Dialogue meetings between the U.S. and the Russian Federation, followed by a meeting in the NATO-Russia Council format, and another meeting with the OSCE.
The presidents also discussed an “active diplomacy” to de-escalate tensions in the Donbas area, to advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, and to support the Normandy Four talks format, the U.S. statement concluded
Meanwhile, on Jan. 3., Congressperson Adam Schiff, Chair of the U.S. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, retweeted the White House statement on the call between along with the message:
“Grateful to have a White House standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our democratic ally, Ukraine, and standing up to Putin. We must carry the mantle of championing democracy — both at home and abroad.”
The previous day, Schiff, in his role as Intelligence chief, gave an interview to Margaret Brennan on the popular 'Face the Nation' show on deterrence steps to demotivate Russia from invading Ukraine again.
Brennan asked Schiff “In your Intel committee role, I want to ask you about Russia. What specifically would stop Vladimir Putin from his aggression?”
Schiff replied:
“I think that it would require enormous sanctions on Russia to deter what appears to be a very likely Russian invasion of Ukraine again.“
Schiff continued to say that if Russia does invade Ukraine again “it is going to bring NATO closer to Russia, not push them farther away.” and that “will have the opposite impact of what Putin is trying to achieve.”
The Congressperson added that he has no problem going after Putin personally with sanctions, but the present deterrence focus of the United States, partners and allies is to impose strong sectoral sanctions against the economy of the Russian Federation in the event of another invasion of Ukraine, along with strengthening the NATO presence in allied nations that border Russia.
