Biden and Ukraine's Zelenskiy discuss keeping Putin at bay

US president has expressed 'deep concerns' about military tension

President Joe Biden speaks by phone to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Oval Office. Bloomberg

US President Joe Biden reached out to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday as the US moved to take a more direct role in diplomacy between Kiev and Russia, part of a broader effort to dissuade Moscow from a destabilising invasion of its neighbour.

Mr Biden made his offer of American diplomacy during a two-hour online meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, while repeating warnings of tough new sanctions and increased defensive aid to the region if Russia does invade.

The US president proposed joining European countries in negotiations not only to settle the conflict in eastern Ukraine but to address Mr Putin’s larger strategic objections to Nato expanding its membership and building military capacity ever closer to Russia’s borders.

The phone call with the Ukrainian president on Thursday lasted for more than an hour.

“President Biden voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European allies about Russia’s aggressive actions towards Ukraine and made clear that the US and our allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of a further military intervention,” a White House readout of the call said.

In a tweet, the Ukrainian leader said the two “discussed possible formats for resolving the conflict in Donbas and touched upon the course of internal reforms in Ukraine".

Administration officials have suggested that the US will press Ukraine to formally cede a measure of autonomy within its eastern Donbas region, which is now under de facto control by Russia-backed separatists who rose up against Kiev in 2014.

Decentralisation of Ukraine and a “special status” for Donbas were laid out in an ambiguous, European-brokered peace deal in 2015, but it has never taken hold.

More autonomy could formally give residents of that region more authority over some local issues. The administration officials made no mention of ceding any territory, and Mr Biden has said that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are not on the table for the US.

The White House readout also said: “President Biden made clear that the United States and its allies and partners are committed to the principle of 'no decisions or discussions about Ukraine without Ukraine.'"

Mr Biden also will have to finesse Ukraine’s desire to join Nato. The US and Nato reject Mr Putin’s demands that they guarantee Ukraine will not be admitted to the western military alliance.

But senior State Department officials have told Ukraine that Nato membership is unlikely to be approved in the next decade, said a person familiar with the private talks who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Additionally, the Pentagon said the last parts of a $60 million US security systems package for Ukraine is shipping this week, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said.

Other parts of that security assistance package, meant to help Ukrainians defend their sovereignty against Russian aggression, included the Javelin missile system, which is already in the hands of Ukrainian servicemembers.

Mr Kirby said as with all security assistance packages, the material provided can be used as the recipient nation sees fit — but that it will be used for self-defence purposes only.

“Our expectation for use of the Javelins … that they are to be used in a self-defensive mode … for self-defence purposes,” Mr Kirby said.

“There is no geographical restriction on where they can be used inside Ukraine. We expect them to use them responsibly and for purposes of self-defence.”

For Mr Biden, the challenge will be encouraging Kiev to accept some of the facts on the ground in eastern Ukraine, without appearing to cave to Mr Putin — a perception that could embolden the Russian leader and unleash a fresh line of condemnation from Republicans.

Ukraine may be asked if it can make “some step forward on these areas”, said Steven Pifer, a former US ambassador to Ukraine. That could include measures such as allowing the Russia-allied Donbas region to control its own health care, police and schools, he said.

Agencies contributed to this report