Europe | Diplomacy with menaces

Joe Biden adopts a tough new tone with Vladimir Putin

But will it be enough to avert another Russian invasion of Ukraine?

|WASHINGTON, DC

WHEN JOE BIDEN met Vladimir Putin in Geneva last June, he spoke of his desire for “stable and predictable” relations with Russia and pointed to several areas in which the two could co-operate, not least on limiting nuclear weapons and fighting terrorism. This time, in a two-hour video call, the tone was confrontational. Mr Biden warned his counterpart of harsh retribution if the Russian troops currently massing on Ukraine’s borders launched an invasion.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Diplomacy with menaces”

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