Biden: Meeting With European Leaders About Ukraine 'Very Good,' Achieved Total Unity

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden said his virtual meeting with European leaders on the situation between Russia and Ukraine went very well and achieved a "total unity" among them.

“I had a very, very, very good meeting, total unity with all the European leaders. We’ll talk about it later,” Biden said during a White House event on Monday.

Biden’s call with the European leaders lasted one hour and 20 minutes, during which time the parties consulted and coordinated on issues related to the ongoing situation between Russia and Ukraine.

President Biden's statement after his call with several EU leaders today (including of France, Germany, the UK and Italy) on Russia's threat to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/1c5DRkMkjp

— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) January 24, 2022

Participants in the meeting included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Today, I spoke with European leaders in response to Russia’s military buildup on Ukraine’s borders. We discussed our joint efforts to deter further Russian aggression, such as preparations to impose severe economic costs on Russia and reinforce security on the eastern flank,” Biden said via Twitter shortly after the White House remarks.

Tensions between Russia and Ukraine amid a buildup of forces near their border have sparked discussions of further US involvement in the European security situation, including by supplying more military aid to Ukraine as deterrence to a potential invasion.

Russia has resolutely denied that it intends to attack any country and has warned NATO that its activities near Russia’s borders are a national security threat while Moscow reserves the right to move forces on its territory as it sees fit.