U.S. President Joe Biden, in a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, warned him about the readiness of the United States and its allies to take decisive measures in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine, the White House has reported.

"He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.

In addition, Biden called on Putin to ease tensions near Ukraine.

This is the second conversation between the American and Russian leaders in a month. The first one was held on December 7 via videoconference. The leaders discussed bilateral relations, issues of strategic stability, cyber security, as well as the situation around Ukraine and NATO's eastward expansion.