US President Joe Biden pledged to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky a decisive response to any Russian aggression, and the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) expressed pessimism, while Germany warned the Russians of harsh sanctions.
After a phone call with Zelensky, Biden made it clear that the United States would respond quickly and decisively to any further Russian aggression against Ukraine along with its allies and partners, according to the White House.
The White House added that Biden reiterated Washington's commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and that the two presidents agreed on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence in response to the Russian military buildup on the Ukrainian border.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that the failure to achieve tangible change after the phone talks between Biden and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, indicates that things are not going in the right direction.
In an interview with Fox News, Kirby added that there was no sign that Putin had any intention of de-escalation and tensions.
German endeavors
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to travel to Kiev on Monday to meet the Ukrainian president, and to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with the Russian president, where he made clear that the aim was to make clear how to preserve peace, which faces a "very serious threat."
In new statements to him, Schulz said, "It is necessary to be clear, and to say clearly that in the event of a military aggression against Ukraine that endangers its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, this will lead to severe sanctions that we have carefully prepared, and that we can implement immediately with our allies in Europe and within the Alliance. Atlantic".
A German government source told reporters that Schulz would tell Putin that any attack on Ukraine would have serious consequences, and that the unity between the European Union, the United States and Britain should not be underestimated. "I do not expect tangible results, but these direct talks are important," a German government source told reporters.
The Financial Times quoted a German diplomat as saying that the German chancellor's visit to Kiev and Moscow is an attempt to spare the region war, adding that Schulz seeks to understand the Russians' goals and the possibility of returning to dialogue.
The sanctions are expected to target mainly the Russian energy sector, which finances the general budget by about 36% in the form of taxes and fees collected by the authorities from this sector.
Stopping the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which transports gas to Europe, would be a very cruel step, as the project cost nearly $12 billion.
The expected Western sanctions may also include banning advanced technologies needed to extract Russian oil, whose production is estimated at 11.3 million barrels per day.
Russia's exclusion from the Association for International Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) will make Russian companies out of the global financial system, and will cripple their ability to transfer and receive money abroad as well.
Vienna Document
On the other hand, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia did not respond to Ukraine's request to clarify the nature of its military build-up along the border, according to the Vienna document.
Accordingly, Kiev will resort to requesting an emergency meeting with Russia and member states within 48 hours to discuss Russian reinforcements, he said.
Kuleba said that if Russia is serious when it talks about the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space, it must honor its commitment to military transparency in order to de-escalate tensions and enhance security for all.