US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron in a telephone conversation discussed the Russian troop build-up near the Ukrainian border. This was reported by the website of the White House.

As noted, the two leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and also considered coordination in preparing serious economic sanctions for Russia in the event of its invasion of Ukraine.

"President Biden and President Macron agreed that their teams would remain in close contact, particularly during consultations with NATO allies and EU partners, regarding our coordinated and comprehensive approach to addressing these issues," the White House added.

Western countries have recently been paying particular attention to the build-up of Russian forces along the border with Ukraine, the danger of a new Russian invasion and the intensification of Russian disinformation.

The Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Alexei Danilov, said late last year that 122,000 Russian troops are at a distance of 200 kilometers and 143,500 troops over 400 kilometers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The Kremlin head's main demand is for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand further east and deploy weapons systems that Russia considers a threat there.