The leaders of the two countries plan to consider preparations for future diplomatic meetings aimed at de-escalating tensions through the build-up of Russian troops near Ukraine.

During the conversation, Biden intends to "reaffirm US support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russian aggression," a White House spokesman said.

A telephone conversation between the two leaders will be the second in three weeks, as the White House seeks to counter a military threat from Moscow that has raised concerns between NATO and Kiev about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming weeks.

The talks will take place after talks between Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 30, during which the US president said the United States and its allies would impose tough sanctions on Russia if it invades Ukraine.

Russia has concentrated about 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and is demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union.

• The Biden administration and NATO have repeatedly stated that the alliance pursues an open door policy and that no country should have a veto over another state's desire to join the alliance.

  In addition, Western officials said they would not discuss Ukraine's security without consulting with Kyiv.

• During the December 30 talks, Biden and Putin laid the groundwork for future talks aimed at mitigating the crisis.

• US and Russian officials will meet in Geneva on January 9-10 to discuss arms control and rising tensions with Ukraine in their bilateral dialogue on strategic stability.

• After that, a separate meeting of the Russia-NATO Council will take place on January 12 in Brussels.

• A regular meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) will take place in Vienna in a day. It includes the United States, its European allies, Ukraine and Russia.