Ahead of the video summit: The United States has warned Putin that the crisis in Ukraine will escalate

A top US government official said on Monday that US President Joe Biden would make it clear to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at a video conference on Tuesday that “if Russia decides to do this, the costs will be very high.” Then Putin should expect “significant economic countermeasures from both Europeans and the United States.” In the conversation, Biden will also emphasize that there is a diplomatic path in the crisis.

“It should be clear: we do not know whether President Putin will decide on another military expansion in Ukraine, but we know that if he does, he will provide the capabilities for such an expansion,” the U.S. government spokesman said Monday. Biden wanted to consult with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who will hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky in the coming days.

The U.S. official said that if Russia invades Ukraine, allies in the eastern part of the alliance would certainly ask for more troops and skills and maneuvers. You can expect a “positive response” from the United States. The United States has accused Russia of deploying troops too far from the Ukrainian border. Moscow denies allegations of aggression and accuses Ukraine of sending more than 120,000 troops to pro-Russian separatist areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Putin and Biden want to talk about the Ukraine crisis at a video summit on Tuesday afternoon. In addition, it should be about cyber security and the Iranian nuclear program and other international conflicts. The two first met in Geneva in June as heads of state.