Biden Warns Putin on Russian Troop Buildup Near Ukraine

WASHINGTON - U.S. President Joe Biden told Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call Tuesday that the United States is concerned about Moscow's "sudden … military buildup" along Ukraine's border and in occupied Crimea. He called on Russia to "deescalate tensions," the White House said in a summary of the conversation.

"President Biden emphasized the United States' unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said, but gave no assessment of Putin's reaction to the U.S. leader's remarks. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, with the U.S. and Western allies condemning the takeover but doing nothing to block it. Since then, Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region have fought Kyiv's troops, with skirmishes flaring periodically, sometimes intensely.