A senior administration official said they could not speak specifically to why Putin had requested the phone call, but noted that Biden is always prepared to speak directly with his counterparts at times of heightened tensions.
"President Biden will make clear that there is a diplomatic path to de-escalating tensions in the region, if President Putin is interested in taking it," the official said.
The official added that the U.S. has developed its own detailed list of concerns with Russia's behavior and the security situation in Europe, but that they plan to discuss it with the Russians behind closed doors, rather than in public.
"The two presidents will discuss the upcoming dialogues with Russia on a range of security and strategic issues. Those include bilateral talks through the Strategic Stability Dialogue, as well as the NATO-Russia Council, and the OSCE Permanent Council meeting, all of which will take place the week of January 10th," the official said.
