US President Joe BidenWASHINGTON, Feb. 3 US President Joe Biden discussed with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on the situation around Ukraine, the White House said. «President Joseph R. Biden Jr spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron today about the ongoing Russian troop buildup on Ukraine's borders,» the press release said. Both leaders reaffirmed their support for sovereignty and territorial integrity Ukraine, discussed diplomatic contacts and the preparation of «quick and severe economic costs» for Russia in the event that the situation around Ukraine worsens, the White House added. «President Biden and President Macron agreed that their teams will remain in close contact, including through consultations with NATO allies and partners in the EU,» the press release says. Kiev and Western states have recently expressed concern about the alleged the threat of «aggressive actions» by Russia near the borders of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone and is not going to attack anyone, and statements about «Russian aggression» are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotaging the Minsk agreements on Donbass. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the information hysteria of the USA and NATO on Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes. troops in the US
