Washington. February 19. INTERFAX - US President Joe Biden and the heads of a number of European NATO member states agreed to continue to undertake diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalating the situation around Ukraine, at the same time expressed readiness to take tough measures in case of a complication of the situation, the White House reports.
"They pledged to continue diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, but also expressed readiness to introduce rapid and coordinated economic measures against Russia if it decides to continue the conflict," the published press release says.
"The leaders also discussed efforts to ensure the defense and security of NATO's eastern flank," the document says.