By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will host a call with allies and partners on Monday morning after President Vladimir Putin put Russia’s nuclear deterrent on high alert in the face of a barrage of Western reprisals over the war on Ukraine.
The United States said the Russian president was escalating the war with “dangerous rhetoric.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Putin has displayed a pattern of “manufacturing threats” that don’t exist in order to justify further aggression.
The call will be held at 11:15 a.m. ET (1615 GMT).
Russian and Ukrainian officials met on the Belarusian border to discuss a ceasefire on Monday while invading Russian forces met with determined resistance from Ukrainian troops and civilians on a fifth day of conflict.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also triggered a Western economic and corporate response unprecedented in its extent and coordination.
The United States on Monday blocked Americans from engaging in any transactions involving Russia’s central bank, dealing a crushing blow to the country’s economy.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Alistair Bell)
