Jake Sullivan says the US is prepared to deploy more troops if Russia invades ...

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tuesday that the United States is prepared to deploy more troops to NATO countries if Russia invades Ukraine. 

After Tuesday morning's call between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which mainly focused on Ukraine, Sullivan appeared in the White House briefing room and was asked directly if sending more U.S. troops was on the table.   

Sullivan answered that if there was a 'military escalation' into Ukraine by Russia, the U.S. expected that Baltic allies including Romania, Poland and others, to be increasingly concerned about their own security.

'They will be seeking, we expect, additional capabilities and potentially additional deployments and the United States will be looking to respond positively to those things in the event that there is a further incursion into Ukraine,' Sullivan answered.

Sullivan also made clear that the U.S. planned to respond more forcefully than the Obama administration did in 2014, when Russia invaded and annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine.  

'I will look you into the eye and tell you, as President Biden looked President Putin in the eye and told him today that things we did not do in 2014 we are prepared to do now,' Sullivan told reporters. 

'In terms of specifics, we would prefer to communicate that directly to the Russians, to not negotiate in public, to not telegraph our punches,' Sullivan continued. 'But we are laying out for the Russian, in some detail, the types of measures that we have in mind.'       

Earlier, Biden was seen waving to Putin and chuckling during what was supposed to be a tense video call on Tuesday morning.

But the White House said Biden gave tough talk to his Russian counterpart in their two-hour conversation and made it clear any invasion of Ukraine would be met with 'strong' economic sanctions and 'other measures.'

During the video chat, Biden 'voiced the deep concerns of the United States and our European Allies about Russia’s escalation of forces surrounding Ukraine and made clear that the U.S. and our Allies would respond with strong economic and other measures in the event of military escalation,' the White House said in a readout of the call.

'President Biden reiterated his support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called for de-escalation and a return to diplomacy,' the White House noted. There will be follow up conversations on the staff level. 

Russian news agencies released video of the first few minutes of the call.

In it, Biden is seen experiencing some technical difficulties, apparently forgetting to switch his microphone on. 

'Greetings Mr. President,' Putin said to Biden in Russian. 

There was silence on the other end and then Biden was seen leaning forward and flipping a button. 

'There you go,' Biden said, suddenly audible. 

'Hello,' he added, chuckling and waving to his Russian counterpart. 'It's good to see you again.' 

Biden was also heard telling Putin during another short clip from there chat: 'We didn't get to see one another at the G20. I hope the next time we meet we do it in person.' 

The call started at 10:07 am ET, according to the White House. American press were not allowed to view the conversation. It ended at 12:08 pm the White House said. 

After the call ended, the White House released a photo of Biden in the White House Situation Room.

'.@POTUS held a secure video call with President Putin of Russia today to discuss a range of topics in the U.S.-Russia relationship, including our concerns about Russian military activities on the border with Ukraine, cyber, and regional issues,' the White House said in the tweet.

In the White House photo, Biden is seen maskless at the head of a table, with a masked Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on the sidelines.

Putin was on the call from his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. It’s the fourth direct conversation between the two leaders this year, following two calls and one summit in Geneva. 

After the conversation with Putin, Biden will speak with President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Mario Minister Draghi of Italy, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, according to the White House. 

'On their call yesterday, the leaders agreed to stay in close touch on a coordinated and comprehensive approach in response to Russia’s military build-up on Ukraine’s borders,' the White House said. 

The president is also expected to call Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky after he speaks to the Russian leader. 

Tuesday's call with Putin is one of the biggest tests of Biden's diplomatic skills to date as he tries to head off a Russian attack that could lead to additional US troops being deployed to Eastern Europe to support NATO allies against an aggressive threat from the Kremlin. 

Putin, meanwhile, has complained that Ukraine poses a threat to Russia because of its relationship with the US and Western Europe. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday that Moscow regretted what he called the White House's predictable tendency to resort to sanctions, but said that Putin was ready to hear out Biden's concerns and that the Kremlin leader wanted to set out his own.

'We're looking for good, predictable relations with the United States. Russia has never intended to attack anyone, but we have our concerns and we have our red lines,' he said.  

Meanwhile, Ukraine has warned of a 'bloody massacre' and five million Ukrainian refugees fleeing into Europe if Russia decides to invade Kiev. 

Satellite images show increasing numbers of Russian troops massing on the border of Ukraine – as many as 175,000 according to US analysts. 

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov told CNN there would be a 'really bloody massacre' if Russia invaded Ukraine and warned that 'Russian guys also will come back in coffins'.   

A White House spokesman said Monday evening that Biden had spoken to the leaders of France, the UK, Germany and Italy, and they discussed 'their shared concern about the Russian military build-up on Ukraine's borders and Russia's increasingly harsh rhetoric.'  

The White House said: 'The leaders underscored their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.' 

Ahead of the conversation, the administration made it clear Biden would take a tough stance with Russia.  

Biden was expected to threaten Putin with 'substantial economic' sanctions should he invade Ukraine. They're likely to be similar to the economic sanctions imposed on Iran over its attempts to develop a nuclear weapon. 

The moves under consideration will 'impose significant and severe harm on the Russian economy' - options include cutting Russia off from global financial systems, in the same way that Iran was isolated for failing to comply with the nuclear deal. 

That could include targeting Russia's biggest banks and Moscow's ability to convert roubles into dollars and other currencies, a source told Reuters. 

Biden also warned of 'additional forces and capabilities' being deployed to the region, if Putin does invade. 

Putin has made preparations to invade Ukraine but it's unclear he's made the final decision to do so, a senior administration official said on Monday.

The official noted the US was ready to show a 'combination of support for the Ukrainian military, strong economic countermeasures, and the substantial increase in support and capability to our NATO allies' if Moscow moved forward with an attack.

The official briefed reporters on the situation in the Ukraine ahead of Biden's call with Putin on Tuesday.

Taking a tough tone ahead of the conversation between the two leaders, the official noted that the U.S. and Europeans are prepared to place 'substantial economic' sanctions on Russia should Putin invade the Ukraine - a message President Biden will send during the virtual talk with his Russian counterpart.

While the official wouldn't commit to the United States putting boots on the ground in the Ukraine to help President Volodymyr Zelensky, the person did say that in the event of an invasion, the US would offer reassurance to NATO allies with additional forces. 

'To be clear, we do not know whether President Putin has made a decision about further military escalation in Ukraine. But we do know that he is putting in place the capacity to engage in such escalation should he decide to do so. We've seen this Russian playbook before in 2014 when Russia last invaded Ukraine,' the senior administration official said.

'We have seen the movement of additional capabilities and forces to the vicinity of Ukraine in multiple different areas. And these movements are consistent with the planning that we see underway for a military escalation in Ukraine,' the official added. 

The official added that Russia could still choose a 'different course' and the Biden administration is encouraging Moscow to 'return to dialogue through diplomatic avenues. 

The administration has been lining up its European allies for backup. 

On Monday night, the White House said: 'Today, President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom, and President Biden of the United States held a call. 

'The leaders discussed their shared concern about the Russian military build-up on Ukraine's borders and Russia's increasingly harsh rhetoric. 

'They called on Russia to de-escalate tensions and agreed that diplomacy, especially through the Normandy Format, is the only way forward to resolve the conflict in Donbas through the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. 

'The leaders underscored their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. 

'They agreed that their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO allies and EU partners, on a coordinated and comprehensive approach.' 

The situation in the Ukraine is expected to be the dominate topic of Biden and Putin's conversation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Monday. 

'It's also an opportunity to discuss a range of topics in the US and Russia relationship including strategic stability, cyber and regional issues, but you can certainly expect that the our concerns about the military activities on the border will be a prominent part of the discussion,' she said at her press briefing of the Tuesday call. 

'I think our objective from the beginning of the president's time in office has not been to escalate the relationship but has been to move to a more stable footing in the relationship,' she noted. 

But, she added, 'the president is not going to hold back on conveying his concern.'

She also indicated there

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