As the UNSC prepares for an emergency session, Biden calls allies
Key Takeaways:
- The United States has led the Western condemnation of Moscow's actions in Ukraine, imposing a slew of economic sanctions on the Russian economy.
- The "secure call" from the US and its allies comes as the UN Security Council has called for an emergency UNGA session to address the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.
On Monday, US President Joe Biden will hold a conference call with allies to discuss the Ukraine conflict. "The President hosts a secure call with Allies and partners at 11:15 a.m. [16:15 GMT] to talk the latest developments pertaining Russia's attack on Ukraine and also to coordinate our united response," according to the White House's Monday schedule. The White House has denied to state who will be involved in the telephonic conversation with Joe Biden.
The US and its allies' "secure call" comes as the UN Security Council (UNSC) has called for an urgent session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to address the deteriorating situation in Ukraine. The Biden administration had previously condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear alert, calling it an "unacceptable escalation" of the full-fledged war in Ukraine that began on February 24.
The US has led the Western condemnation of Moscow's actions in Ukraine and has imposed a slew of sanctions aimed at the Russian economy.
Despite the United States' harsh sanctions, Russia's oil and gas will continue to flow freely to the rest of the world. As per Reuters, since the attack on Ukraine, US President Biden has defended his decision to maintain access to Russian energy to alleviate the pain that American citizens are experiencing at the gas pump.
However, some experts have pointed out that excluding an industry at the heart of Russia's economy (in this case, the energy sector) will effectively limit the sanctions imposed.
"Politicians in the United States and Europe have chosen to focus on the one sector that has the potential to be truly decisive. "I don't believe Russia is oblivious to what is going on, and it must indicate to them that the West does not have the stomach for a protracted fight over Ukraine," Columbia University historian Adam Tooze assured Reuters.