Politics & Government

Biden says diplomacy continues but a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still possible

By Brian Naylor

Published February 15, 2022 at 2:48 PM EST

This image provided by The White House via Twitter shows President Joe Biden at Camp David, Md., on Saturday. Biden on Saturday again called on President Vladimir Putin to pull back more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine's borders and warned that the U.S. and its allies would "respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs" if Russia invades, according to the White House.

President Biden will give remarks on Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday afternoon, the White House said.

"He will reiterate that the United States remains open to high-level diplomacy in close coordination with our allies, building on the multiple diplomatic off-ramps we and our allies and partners have offered Russia in recent months. The United States continues to believe diplomacy and de-escalation are the best path forward, but is prepared for every scenario," the White House said in a statement.

Watch the remarks live at 3:30 pm ET:

There was a flurry of diplomatic activity Tuesday aimed at averting a Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron for about 50 minutes via a secure video conference, according to the White House. No details were given.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. In a news conference afterward, Putin indicted that Russia's military had begun pulling back some of its troops from the border with Ukraine. And NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters "There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism."

But Stoltenberg added, "So far we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side.