President Joe Biden said Monday 바카라it would be wise바카라 for Americans other than essential diplomats to leave Ukraine amid the Russian military threat.
Biden made his comments during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the White House, shortly after the two leaders met for talks about the simmering crisis.
The State Department has already authorized nonessential employees to leave and has called on all family members of diplomats in Ukraine to do so.
Biden also said Monday 바카라there will no longer be Nord Stream 2,바카라 a crucial Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline, if Russia further invades Ukraine with 바카라tanks and troops.바카라 Â
International efforts to defuse the standoff over Ukraine intensified Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron holding talks in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington to coordinate policies as fears of a Russian invasion mounted.
The buildup of over 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fueled Western worries of a possible offensive. White House national security adviser  Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine 바카라any day,바카라 triggering a conflict that would come at an 바카라enormous human cost.바카라
Russia has denied any plans to attack its neighbor but demands that the U.S. and its allies bar Ukraine and other former Soviet nations from joining NATO, halt weapons deployments there and roll back NATO forces from Eastern Europe. Washington and NATO reject those demands.
Speaking at the start of his meeting with Scholz, U.S. President Joe Biden said that the U.S. and Germany were 바카라working in lockstep to further deter Russian aggression in Europe."
Scholz added: 바카라We are closest allies and we are working intensely together, and this is necessary for doing the steps that we have to do, for instance, fighting against Russian aggression against Ukraine."
Macron, meanwhile, called for de-escalation as he began talks with President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin. 바카라Dialogue is necessary because that's the only thing that will help, in my views, to build a context of a security and stability on the European continent,바카라 Macron said, adding that he's ready to "start building an effective response.바카라
Putin, in turn, praised France's role in shaping European security, saying he appreciates Macron's efforts to help ensure 바카라an equal security in Europe바카라 and broker a settlement to the Ukrainian crisis. 바카라I realize that we share concern about what's going on in Europe in the security sphere,바카라 the Russian leader said as he faced Macron across a long table.
Macron and Putin then met for hours of one-on-one talks and a meal that included fish soup, the choice of sturgeon or reindeer with sweet potatoes and pear pie with vanilla ice cream.
Macron, who heads Tuesday to Ukraine, spoke by phone Sunday with Biden. Before the Putin meeting, Macron said: 바카라I don't believe in spontaneous miracles.바카라
바카라The security and sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European state cannot be a subject for compromise, while it is also legitimate for Russia to pose the question of its own security,바카라 Macron told the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche, adding he believes 바카라the geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU.바카라
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov sought to temper expectations, saying 바카라the situation is too complex to expect a decisive breakthrough after just one meeting,바카라 and noting the West has ignored Moscow's security demands.
Before meeting Biden, Scholz told German media that "there will be a very high price if Ukraine is attacked militarily. And we are preparing for this very precisely and have been talking about the details for a long time.바카라 Scholz will travel to Kyiv and Moscow Feb. 14-15.
Ahead of the visit, the White House sought to play down Germany's refusal to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine, bolster its troops in Eastern Europe or spell out which sanctions it would support against Russia 바카라 a cautious stand that has drawn criticism abroad and inside Germany.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday again pushed back against criticism of Germany that it's not doing enough to support Ukraine.
"The president has also noted 바카라Š that different countries make different contributions,바카라 Psaki said, noting Germany's significant nonmilitary aid to Ukraine.
Psaki also reiterated that the Nord Stream 2 Russian gas pipeline to Germany 바카라will not move forward바카라 should Russia further invade Ukraine. But she sidestepped questions about whether the Germans have given the White House assurances that it would shut off the pipeline that has been completed and is currently awaiting certification by German and EU regulators.
Separately German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said her country would add up to 350 troops within a few days to about 500 already a part of a NATO battlegroup in Lithuania. 바카라With this, we are strengthening our contribution to forces on NATO's eastern flank and sending a very clear signal of unity to our allies,바카라 she said.
Biden already has deployed additional U.S. troops to Poland, Romania and Germany, and a few dozen elite U.S troops and equipment landed Sunday in southeastern Poland near the border with Ukraine, with hundreds more infantry troops of the 82nd Airborne Division set to arrive.
Britain said it was sending 350 troops to Poland to bolster NATO forces, joining 100 Royal Engineers already there.
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