British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden held telephone conversations on the night of February 14-15 over the crisis in Ukraine. According to the prime minister's press office, the British and U.S. leaders told each other of their discussions with leaders of other countries.
"They agreed that there is still a fateful window of opportunity for diplomacy, and for Russia to retreat from its threats against Ukraine," Downing Street reports.
Johnson and Biden stressed that any further invasion of Ukraine would lead to a protracted crisis for Russia, which would be detrimental to it as well as to the rest of the world.
They also agreed that allies must remain united in the face of the Russian threat, and be prepared to impose a package of meaningful sanctions should Russian aggression escalate. In addition, Johnson and Biden reiterated that Europe needs to reduce its dependence on Russian gas, which would hit the "heart of Russia's strategic interests" the hardest.
According to Downing Street, Johnson and Biden "agreed to remain in close contact" with developments in Ukraine.
