Biden warns Putin of 'severe costs' of Ukraine invasion

In a phone call with President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, President Joe Biden made clear that if Russia invades Ukraine, the U.S. and its allies would respond “decisively and impose swift and severe costs," the White House said. Biden told Putin that an invasion would “produce widespread human suffering and diminish Russia’s standing.”

The two presidents spoke the day after Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned that U.S. intelligence shows that a Russian invasion could begin within days and before the Winter Olympics in Beijing end Feb. 20. Russia has more than 100,000 Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s borders but denies that it intends to launch an offensive against Ukraine.