Biden,Putin to hold video call amid tensions over Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a video call on Tuesday, with the two leaders set to discuss the tense situation in Ukraine.

White House press secretary, Jen Psaki said, confirming the planned call after first word came from Moscow, “Biden will press U.S. concerns about Russian military activities on the border and reaffirm the United States’ support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Putin will come to the call with concerns of his own intends to express Russia’s opposition to any move to admit Ukraine into the NATO military alliance.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “The presidents will decide themselves how long their talk will last.”

The last known call between the leaders was in July, when Biden pressed Putin to rein in Russia-based criminal hacking gangs launching ransomware attacks against the United States.

Biden said the U.S. would take any necessary steps to protect critical infrastructure from such attacks.

Ransomware attacks have continued since then, though perhaps none has been as alarming as the one from May that targeted a major fuel pipeline and resulted in days of gas shortages in parts of the U.S.

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