Us President Says "Ready To Respond Decisively To Russian Attack On Ukraine"

Tuesday, US President said there was still time to resolve the Ukraine crisis diplomatically but warned that sanctions would be ready if Russian troops attacked the country.

According to Biden, despite Russia's claims earlier in the day, Washington and its allies had not yet verified the withdrawal of some of the 150,000 troops Moscow had gathered along Ukraine's border.

"The US is prepared no matter what happens. We are ready with diplomacy," the US leader said.

"And we are ready to respond decisively to the Russian attack on Ukraine, which is still very much a possibility," he said, warning of "powerful sanctions."

Moscow's defense ministry announced earlier that some soldiers and equipment were leaving the border region to return to their bases after planned exercises.

After a meeting Tuesday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Russia "of course" did not want war and was willing to look for solutions with the West.

But Washington said it wanted to see proof of de-escalation after warning over the weekend that Russian troops were poised to invade Ukraine as soon as this week.

Biden, who spoke directly with Putin on Saturday, said there were "real ways" to address both sides' security concerns.

"We should give the diplomacy every chance to succeed," he said.

In Ukraine, he said: "We won't compromise basic principles. Nations have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity."

After meeting Putin, Olaf Scholz told German reporters that Ukraine is not about to join the NATO alliance.