The American president, Joe Biden, on Tuesday will have one of the most important telephone conversations so far in the presidency. He will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after warnings from US intelligence that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine next month.
According to reports, Biden is seeking a diplomatic solution after Russia sent 70 troops to the border with Ukraine.
Biden has made it clear that his administration will remain ready to take action against the Russian economy. Putin, on the other hand, is expected to ask for a guarantee from Biden that NATO will never expand to Ukraine, which has been seeking membership for a long time.
Today's conversation comes six months after Biden met Putin for the first time as president in Switzerland. At the time, he tried to ease tensions between the two countries over cyber attacks and arms control.
The two have a long history against each other. Biden has openly stated that he cannot stand Putin. In 2011, after the meeting, when Biden was vice president, he said directly to Putin that "I don't think you have a soul".
Meanwhile, Biden later called Putin a murderer and continued by reminding him that "he will pay dearly" for trying to undermine the 2020 elections.
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The important phone conversation between Biden and Putin begins
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Russia-Ukraine tensions heat up, Biden and Putin on Saturday in an important phone call
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50 minutes of conversation on the phone, Biden asks Putin to calm down the situation
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Biden and Putin start the video conference on the new tensions
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Biden and Putin will hold a telephone conversation amid tensions over Ukraine