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Putin and Biden

December 14, 2021

Biden made consequences of Ukraine invasion ‘crystal clear’ in call with Russia’s Putin

Ask students: What were some of the responses President Biden warned of if Russia invades Ukraine? Where do Russian backed separatists already control part of Ukraine?

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Summary

President Joe Biden’s video call with Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday was the fourth time the leaders have spoken or met this year. Russia now has more than 100,000 troops stationed on the border of Ukraine, and Biden gave Putin a “crystal clear” message, according to aides, that Russia faces significant economic reprisals if it were to invade. Nick Schifrin reports.

Five Facts

  • Who met through a video call to discuss mounting tensions on the Russia/Ukraine border as mentioned in this piece?
  • What were some of the responses President Biden warned of if Russia invades Ukraine?
  • How many troops does Russia have on the border with Ukraine, according to this piece?
  • Where do Russian backed separatists already control part of Ukraine?
  • Why does Putin argue a troop build-up is necessary, according to this piece?

Focus Questions

Is it clear from this piece why tensions are growing between Russia and Ukraine, as well as the U.S. and European involvement in those tensions? How do you think those tensions could be lowered?

Media literacy

At over 11 minutes long, this piece gets deeper into details of foreign policy and diplomacy than most NewsHour pieces. Do you think the level of detail was helpful or does this piece provide more detail than you needed to understand the conflict?

Additional Resources

  • Read this AP story to better understand the build up of Russian troops near Ukraine.
  • View this lesson plan for history on the crisis in Ukraine.

Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Extra.

PBS NewsHour Classroom

PBS NewsHour Classroom helps teachers and students identify the who, what, where and why-it-matters of the major national and international news stories.

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