Ukraine tension: Biden warns Putin of 'swift and severe costs'

President Joe Biden has told the Russian leader Vladimir Putin that the US and its allies would impose 'swift and severe costs' if Russia invaded Ukraine. It comes after an hour of talks between the leaders aimed at defusing the situation at the Ukrainian border. The Kremlin said that Washington had failed to consider Russia's main security concerns including a veto on Ukraine ever joining Nato.

Also on the programme: We hear from the annual Munich security conference that is happening next week. And we are joined by the directors of the Oscar nominated documentary feature, Writing with Fire.

Julian Worricker has two guests to discuss these and the other stories of the day. Martina Stevis-Gridneff is the Brussels bureau chief for The New York Times and Tom McTague is a London-based staff writer at The Atlantic, and co-author of Betting The House: The Inside Story of the 2017 Election.

(Photo: President Joe Biden speaks on the phone with Russia"s President Vladimir Putin. Credit: The White House/Handout via Reuters)