US President Joe Biden has reassured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington will respond "decisively" to a Russian attack.
According to the AFP news agency, a statement from the White House quoted Biden as saying in a telephone conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky that the United States and its allies would respond if Russia invaded Ukraine.White House Press Secretary Jane Sackie said in a statement that "the US President has promised to support the Ukrainian President in the event of a Russian troop deployment on the Ukrainian border."
The pledge came just days after President Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin of any military action against Ukraine.
After a telephone conversation with Biden, the Ukrainian president wrote in a tweet that he was grateful for US support and that it was a testament to the good relations between the two countries.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, US President Joe Biden said he had warned Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Ukraine issue that Russia would have to pay a "heavy price".
He had said that if Russia moved forward on the issue of Ukraine, the United States would increase its presence in Europe.Ukraine said last week that one of its soldiers had been killed in a battle with pro-Moscow separatists.
In his New Year's address, Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that ending the war in the East was his "primary goal".
