The British newspaper The Guardian has described what it called an «alarming» phone call between then-U. S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in November 2021.

At the time, Biden was in the White House. According to the publication, the call was prompted by intelligence received in Washington regarding Russia’s alleged plans concerning Ukraine.

As reported by The Guardian, U.S. officials believed Putin might use his annual address to the Federal Assembly to justify potential military action on the Ukrainian track. After reviewing the intelligence assessment, Biden reportedly considered the situation serious enough to reach out to the Kremlin directly. The conversation took place a week before the Russian president’s scheduled speech.

Former Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said Biden conveyed concern over the military buildup and urged de-escalation. He also proposed holding a summit in the coming months, an idea the U.S. side believed would be of interest to Putin.

However, subsequent developments did not align with Washington’s expectations. Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly, the newspaper noted, proved far less confrontational than U.S. officials had anticipated. The following day, Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the completion of inspections in the Southern and Western military districts and ordered troops to return to their permanent bases.

Those moves effectively contradicted the forecasts attributed to American intelligence, which had been circulated in the media earlier.