US President Joe Biden held a virtual meeting on
Monday with the leaders of France, the UK, Italy and Germany, discussing
Russia’s military build-up on the Ukraine border, ahead of his meeting with
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.

“The leaders discussed their shared
concern about the Russian military build-up on Ukraine’s borders and Russia’s
increasingly harsh rhetoric,” the White House said in a press statement about
Biden’s video conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, UK Prime
Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and German
Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Also Read: Biden vs Putin: USA will send troops if Russia invades Ukraine

“They called on Russia to de-escalate
tensions and agreed that diplomacy, especially through the Normandy Format, is
the only way forward to resolve the conflict in Donbas through the
implementation of the Minsk Agreements,” the press statement continued.

According to Bloomberg, the call was
especially focused on Biden’s next meeting with Putin which would focus on the
escalating tension on the Ukraine border. The US also has recently said that
Russia may invade Ukraine in early January.

Russia
deployed troops on the Ukraine border

According to the White House, Russia has
deployed tens of thousands of troops on the Ukraine border, raising concerns in
the US and Europe about the possibility of a Russian military invasion. Current
and former officials have compared Russia’s recent behaviour to its activity in
the lead up to the 2014 invasion of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow
continues to occupy to this day despite international condemnation.

Also Read: Joe Biden to warn Putin of economic pain if he invades Ukraine

A senior White House official told
reporters earlier Monday that Biden would speak with the European leaders “to
coordinate his message and ensure that he goes into that conversation with
President Putin with allied unity and strong transatlantic solidarity on the
way forward.”

During the call, the leaders “underscored
their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and agreed
to stay in touch “on a coordinated and comprehensive approach,” according to
the White House.

Also Read: Russia could begin Ukraine offensive in early 2022: US intelligence

The press statement, however, did not
specify if the leaders discussed potential economic sanctions and other
measures they could impose on Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine,
though such measures have been a topic of conversation in recent days.