Ukraine conflict: Joe Biden stresses 'total unanimity' with Europeans in Ukraine crisis

The American president, shortly after a videoconference of just under an hour and a half with several leaders of European countries and European institutions, declared that it had been a “very, very, very good interview”, on the sidelines of a meeting devoted to competition issues.

The leaders of the United States and several European countries including Germany and France have affirmed Monday during a videoconference their “unreserved” support for territorial integrity of Ukraine and promised “very heavy consequences” to Russia in case of “aggression” against this country.

The participants “were all of the opinion that it is up to Russia to undertake visible initiatives of de-escalation” in this conflict, indicated the spokesman of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, at the end of this meeting in which the latter took part in particular with the leaders of the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy and Poland.

The holding of this videoconference had been announced on earlier in the day by the White House at a time when some differences seem to be appearing within the Western camp on the attitude to adopt towards Russia.

This concerns in particular Berlin, much criticized by Ukraine for its refusal in particular to deliver weapons, even defensive ones, unlike the United States, Great Britain or the Baltic countries.

From m Similarly, the countries of the Union of the European Union have not yet decreed the departure of part of their diplomatic personnel from Ukraine, while Washington and London have made announcements to this effect.

During their videoconference, in which the Secretary General of NATO also participated, Western leaders expressed their “great concern” at the regrouping of Russian troops on the eastern border of the Ukraine and accused Moscow of being the source of the “current tensions”, according to the statement from Berlin.

Nevertheless, they considered that “the question of the security and stability in Europe could be resolved through negotiation”.

They “reaffirmed their willingness to pursue diplomatic efforts in this direction”, undertaken during the month of January with several meetings between Western and Russian officials. Without visible success, however, so far.

The leaders notably mentioned the so-called Normandy format discussions, which bring together representatives of Russia, Ukraine, the Germany and France.