US President Joe Biden’s upcoming meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is not a “reward” for Putin.
It’s the most effective way to hear directly from Putin on how to understand and manage the differences between Washington and Moscow, says White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
If Russia’s “harmful” activities against Washington continue, the United States will respond,” the top adviser emphasized.
Putin and Biden meet on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Russian president said earlier that he wants to talk there about improving relations between the two countries. Washington and Moscow have already indicated that the hope for a breakthrough is small.
More than a week before the meeting between the two leaders, Biden invited Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky to visit the White House this summer.
Biden expressed his support for Ukraine, which is at loggerheads with neighbouring Russia, in a phone call with Zelensky. Zelensky had expressed concerns about the timing of the Biden-Putin meeting.
