Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is "convinced" there can be effective dialogue between Washington and Moscow ahead of talks with U.S. President Joe Biden amid rising tensions over a buildup of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine and the Kremlin's demands for sweeping security guarantees from NATO.
The two leaders are set to hold a phone call on December 30 to "discuss a range of topics, including upcoming diplomatic engagements with Russia," according to White House National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne.
According to a Kremlin readout of Putin's holiday messages to world leaders, released on December 30, the Russian president said he was "convinced that...we can move forward and establish an effective Russian-American dialogue based on mutual respect and consideration of each other's national interests."
The December 30 phone call comes as U.S. and Russian officials prepare to meet on January 10 in Geneva to discuss arms control and mounting tensions over Ukraine.
Putin, who initiated the call, according to the Kremlin, has been pressing Biden to attend the talks in person, though the White House has so far rejected such a meeting.
That meeting may be followed by separate talks between Russia and NATO on January 12, while Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which includes the United States and its European allies, will meet on January 13.
Biden will tell Putin the United States is "prepared for diplomacy and for a diplomatic path forward," a senior administration official told reporters. "But we are also prepared to respond if Russia advances with a further invasion of Ukraine," Biden will tell Putin, the official said.
It will be the second call between the two leaders in December, with Biden earlier this month warning his counterpart of "severe consequences" if Russian troops were to attack Ukraine.
Since the last call between the leaders, the Kremlin has publicly issued a list of demands that are almost certain to be rejected by the United States and its allies.
They include a call for NATO to commit to not accepting new member states that were once part of the Soviet Union, such as Ukraine and Georgia. Among other demands, Moscow wants NATO to halt military drills near its borders and roll back military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.
However, U.S. officials say there may be room to negotiate some of the other proposals that fall under the arms-control agenda between Washington and Moscow.
In an interview broadcast on Russian state TV on December 26, Putin said that he would consider various options if the West failed to meet his demands.
Russia's response "could be diverse," he said, adding it would depend on proposals offered by his military commanders.
The Biden administration has dismissed some of Russia's demands as "unacceptable," standing firm in the position that countries such as Ukraine have the right to choose their own foreign and security policy.
However, the U.S. administration has said it is willing to engage in diplomacy with Russia and plans to use the upcoming talks to lay out its concerns over the Kremlin's actions.
Russia has amassed about 100,000 troops near its border with Ukraine in what Western capitals worry could be a prelude to an invasion.
Russia denies it intends to launch an invasion, instead accusing Ukraine and NATO of provocations. Russia invaded and annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and backs separatists in eastern Ukraine fighting a nearly eight-year war against Kyiv's forces.
The military buildup has sparked a flurry of transatlantic diplomacy this month, as Biden and top administration officials seek to coordinate policy with European allies and Ukraine, including the threat of severe economic sanctions if Russia were to invade Ukraine.
Further Russian aggression against Ukraine could also be met by bolstering NATO forces on the alliance's eastern flank, something the Kremlin wants to avoid.
U.S. officials have emphasized that no decisions about Europe's security architecture will be made without agreement from Ukraine and European allies.
"We have heard very clearly from our partner, and we hear constantly that all issues related to Ukraine will be resolved together with Ukraine, all issues regarding our Euro-Atlantic choice, our desire to become a member of the EU, our desire to become a member of NATO will be decided solely between us and the countries of the alliance, for example, if we are talking about NATO," Ukraine's ambassador to Washington, Oksana Markarova, told RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service in an interview to be aired on January 1 .
Horne said the administration continues to consult and coordinate with European allies and partners "on a common approach" to Russia's military buildup.
Earlier on December 29, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
Blinken reiterated Washington's "unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in the face of Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders," the State Department said in a statement.
Biden plans to speak with Zelenskiy soon after the call with Putin, but no date has been set, the senior administration official told media.
