Putin asks Biden for guarantees that NATO won't expand further east: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin asked his US counterpart Joe Biden during a two-hour video call for guarantees that NATO will not expand eastward, the Kremlin announced Tuesday.

The critical meeting between the two leaders took place amid escalating tensions over Ukraine with a steady buildup of Russian troops along its neighbor's border.

"Russia is seriously interested in obtaining reliable, legally fixed guarantees excluding the expansion of NATO in the eastern direction and the deployment of offensive strike weapons systems in the states adjacent to Russia," the Kremlin’s statement said.