THE most-watched news among global security analysts the last few weeks was the growing military crisis along Ukraine's borders with Russia. Both sides were massing tens of thousands of troops, and US officials, citing intelligence reports, talked of an impending Russian invasion into Ukraine. However, senior Kremlin officials, including President Vladimir Putin, repeatedly denied the invasion intention.
The hastily arranged video conference on December 7 between Presidents Biden and Putin was closely watched against this backdrop. The meeting was one of the biggest foreign policy tests of Biden's presidency to date; failing to defuse the growing military crisis along the Ukraine border would've brought serious consequences for the stability of Europe. In June, the Geneva in-person meeting between the two leaders failed to solve the then-budding Ukraine border tension, and many had questioned the diplomatic skill of Biden.
