Washington
\nUS President Joe Biden sought to maintain pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, announcing a small troop deployment to eastern Europe even as top Pentagon officials backed a renewed push for diplomacy.
\nAs President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western leaders to avoid stirring \u201cpanic\u201d over the massive Russian troop buildup on his country s borders, Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on the need for de-escalation.
\nNeither Putin nor his Western counterparts had until now appeared ready to give ground in the weeks-long crisis, the worst in decades in the region between Russia and Western Europe.
\nBut according to a Macron aide, Putin told the French leader in a call lasting more than an hour that he had \u201cno offensive plans.\u201d
\nIn Washington, Biden nevertheless said he would soon send a small number of US troops — \u201cnot too many\u201d — to bolster the NATO presence in eastern Europe as tensions remain heightened.
\nThe United States already has tens of thousands of troops stationed across mostly Western Europe.
\nAt the Pentagon, top officials urged a focus on diplomacy while saying that Russia now had enough troops and equipment in place to threaten the whole of Ukraine.
\nAny such conflict, warned the top US general, Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, would be \u201chorrific\u201d for both sides.
\n\u201cIf that was unleashed on Ukraine, it would be significant, very significant, and it would result in a significant amount of casualties,\u201d Milley said.
\n\u201cIt would be horrific, it will be terrible,\u201d he said.
\nBut speaking alongside Milley, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said war in Ukraine could still be avoided.
\n\u201cConflict is not inevitable. There is still time and space for diplomacy,\u201d said Austin.
\n\u201cMr Putin can do the right thing as well,\u201d said Austin. \u201cThere is no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict. He can choose to de-escalate. He can order his troops away.\u201d
\nDuring his talks with Macron, Putin \u201cexpressed no offensive plans and said he wanted to continue the talks with France and our allies,\u201d the aide to the French president said.
\nTheir conversation \u201cenabled us to agree on the need for a de-escalation,\u201d the aide told journalists. Putin \u201csaid very clearly that he did not want confrontation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Washington US President Joe Biden sought to maintain pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, announcing a small troop deployment to eastern Europe even as top Pentagon officials backed a renewed push for diplomacy. As President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Western leaders to avoid stirring \u201cpanic\u201d over the massive Russian troop buildup on his country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-241527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n