Putin to demand legal guarantee against NATO expansion in call with Biden
Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding a legally binding guarantee that NATO will not expand east — including to Ukraine — and plans to raise the issue in an upcoming phone call with President Biden, according to the Kremlin.
Why it matters: Russia has massed more than 94,000 troops on the border with Ukraine and could be preparing for a large-scale invasion at the end of January, Ukraine's defense minister said Friday.
What they're saying: Biden told reporters Friday that his top national security officials are "putting together what I believe will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do."
Driving the news: Putin has blamed the heightened tensions on increased NATO activity near Russia's borders, including Western support for Ukrainian government forces fighting Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/putin-demand-legal-guarantee-against-163619822.html
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