Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – U.S. Vice President Joe Biden will talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin Thursday. This is as Washington works with allies to find a common solution to Russia’s militarization of the Ukraine border.

According to Emily Horne, spokesperson for the National Security Council, Biden will be discussing a variety of topics with Putin, which includes upcoming diplomatic engagements in Russia.

Biden was said to have spoken with European leaders regarding the Ukraine border. Biden officials also spoke with NATO and the European Union, and were in constant touch with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Moscow is causing alarm in the West with the massing of tens to thousands of troops close to Ukraine over the last two months. This follows its 2014 seizure the Crimea peninsula and support for separatists fighting Kyiv soldiers in Eastern Ukraine.

“The Biden administration continues to engage in extensive diplomacy with our European allies and partners, consulting and coordinating on a common approach in response to Russia’s military build-up on the border with Ukraine,” Horne said.

According to her, U.S. officials also had many consultations with counterparts from the eastern flank countries. These included those in B9 formats as well as Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, told Reuters that the call was scheduled for Thursday night.

Biden responded to a question Tuesday asking if he was going to meet Putin January 10, when he said that “we’ll be seeing”. This day is also the date U.S.-Russian officials will hold security talks.

Two countries announced Monday that they would hold talks to talk about concerns regarding rising tensions around Ukraine.

Russia and NATO will likely hold negotiations on January 12, while a larger meeting with Washington, Moscow and other European nations is scheduled for Jan. 13.