Biden and Putin Hold Virtual Summit Over Ukraine

WASHINGTON — President Biden warned President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia connected Tuesday that an penetration of Ukraine would effect successful dense economical penalties for him and pb NATO to reposition its troops successful Europe, measures that helium said would spell good beyond the West’s effect to Russia’s annexation of Crimea 7 years ago.

In a two-hour video conference that American and Russian officials some described arsenic tense, but occasionally pierced by humor, Mr. Biden besides said an penetration would extremity Russia’s hopes of completing the Nord Stream II state pipeline to Europe, which would beryllium a large root of vigor revenue. Hours aft the dialog was over, a elder State Department official, Victoria Nuland, confirmed that successful a Senate hearing, saying, “I deliberation if President Putin moves connected Ukraine, our anticipation is that the pipeline volition beryllium suspended.”

“There was nary finger-wagging, but the president was crystal clear,’’ Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s nationalist information adviser, told reporters aft the session, which Mr. Biden conducted from the White House Situation Room and Mr. Putin from his retreat connected the Black Sea. But helium said that Mr. Biden had told the Russian person that “things we did not bash successful 2014, we are prepared to bash now.”

In caller days, American officials person said that that list, being composed by the Treasury Department successful collaboration with European allies, ranges from blocking Russian companies from entree to planetary superior markets to fiscal penalties aimed astatine the Russian elite, particularly the oligarchs who person helped concern and enactment Mr. Putin. The astir utmost measurement — 1 that is inactive being debated — would beryllium to chopped Russia disconnected from the planetary fiscal colony system, called SWIFT, but immoderate European officials person feared that measurement mightiness provoke excessively harsh a counterreaction.

It is excessively aboriginal to archer whether the overmuch anticipated conversation, whose details were hard to elicit arsenic some the White House and the Kremlin enactment their rotation connected it, volition alleviate the contiguous situation successful Ukraine, wherever astir 100,000 Russian troops person massed, with much instrumentality and unit arriving each day. Mr. Putin gave nary denotation of his eventual intent, officials said, oregon whether helium was really contemplating an penetration oregon trying to get the West to wage attraction to his demands by manufacturing a crisis.

But it had the consciousness of a instrumentality to the East-West authorities of the Cold War, erstwhile NATO strategy was focused connected however it would halt an penetration from the erstwhile Soviet Union, and Moscow was seeking respect and deference. At involvement was the continued independency of Ukraine, which won its independency aft the autumn of the Soviet Union, portion of a illness Mr. Putin has described arsenic a calamity of 20th period geopolitics. And White House aides were highly alert that portion their options were constricted — determination is nary treatment of nonstop subject engagement by the United States — nonaccomplishment to deter Mr. Putin could beryllium seen arsenic a motion of weakness astir the world, particularly by China.

While the 2 men met, Ms. Nuland, who has angered Mr. Putin successful past years due to the fact that of her relation successful bolstering Ukraine’s ouster of a person who was considered a puppet to Moscow, warned that the Russian person seemed emboldened.

“Much of this comes close retired of Putin’s 2014 playbook, but this time, it is overmuch larger, and connected a overmuch much lethal scale,’’ she told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “So contempt our uncertainty astir nonstop intentions and timing, we indispensable hole with our allies and partners for each contingencies, adjacent arsenic we propulsion Putin to reverse course.”

The evening earlier the league betwixt Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin, the manager of the C.I.A., William J. Burns, a erstwhile American ambassador to Russia, said successful the adjacent fewer months — arsenic the crushed freezes successful the marshy territory connected the Russia-Ukraine borderline and Russia completes its subject buildup — Mr. Putin whitethorn reason the clip to enactment is ripe.

Understand the Escalating Tensions Over Ukraine

“I deliberation tactically, arsenic President Putin astir apt looks astatine this wintertime astatine the adjacent fewer months, helium whitethorn spot a much favorable landscape,” Mr. Burns said.

Speaking to a Wall Street Journal forum, helium said that successful Mr. Putin’s presumption the large European allies are “distracted with the modulation beyond Chancellor Merkel successful Germany,” and with France preparing for statesmanlike elections adjacent spring, “he sees himself successful a presumption of comparative economical spot compared to wherever the Russian system was a mates of years ago.”

Mr. Biden sought to alteration that presumption connected Tuesday morning, and Mr. Sullivan argued that due to the fact that the Nord Stream pipeline was not yet operating, its destiny was leverage for the United States and its allies.