WILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday afternoon, expressing support for the country as thousands of Russian troops remain on its border and as the U.S. seeks to de-escalate the situation through continued dialogue this month.

What You Need To Know

  • President Joe Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday afternoon, expressing support for the country as thousands of Russian troops remain on its borde

  • Biden spoke to the Ukrainian leader by phone from his home in Delaware just a few days after a 50-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin

  • The president said he told Putin that if he makes any more moves toward Ukraine, there will be “severe sanctions” and a “heavy price to pay"

  • Biden and Zelenskyy also discussed upcoming diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, when U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Geneva for security talks later this month

Biden spoke to the Ukrainian leader by phone from his home in Delaware just a few days after a 50-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which the two leaders laid out their positions in a “serious” conversation ahead of scheduled security talks later this month.

President Biden said he told Putin that if he makes any more moves toward Ukraine, there will be “severe sanctions” and a “heavy price to pay,” a reaction Moscow warned would be a “colossal mistake.”

The Sunday call with Zelenskyy is part of the United States’ diplomatic approach to the border tensions of “nothing about you without you,” in which U.S. officials have sought to coordinate with NATO allies and keep in contact with Ukraine even as they directly negotiate with Russia.

Biden affirmed the U.S. “commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” in his call with Zelenskyy on Sunday, according to a statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

Russia has amassed as many as 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border, prompting concern about an invasion.

“We made it clear that he cannot — I emphasize cannot — move on Ukraine,” Biden told reporters Friday of the call with Putin.

Biden and Zelenskyy also discussed upcoming diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation, according to the White House, when U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Geneva starting Jan. 9 for a security dialogue.

The president seemed optimistic when asked about the upcoming talks on Friday.

“I always expect if you negotiate, you make progress, but we’ll see,” he said in response to a question from Spectrum News.

Russia has called for guarantees that Ukraine won’t be allowed to join NATO and called for the allied countries to remove some military force from the region, both things that are unlikely.

It was still unclear what measures would cause Russia to back off the Ukraine border.

“I made it clear to President Putin that if he makes any more moves and goes into Ukraine, we will have severe sanctions,” Biden said Friday. “We will increase our presence in Europe with our NATO Allies, and it will have to be a heavy price to pay for it.”