Russian and US presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden held two-hour teleconference talks on Tuesday, the main topic of which was the situation around Ukraine.
The leaders, according to the Kremlin press service, agreed to "substantive consultations" on sensitive security issues, including rejection of NATO eastward expansion and the deployment of offensive weapons in countries bordering Russia. They also discussed the implementation of the Geneva summit decisions, the cybersecurity dialogue, and problems of bilateral relations, including restrictions on the work of diplomats.
According to Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, the conversation did not include such topics as pandemics, the climate and energy, including Nord Stream-2. TASS collected the main thing that is known about the conversation.
The situation around Ukraine
Putin explicitly told Biden that Ukraine is sabotaging the implementation of the Minsk agreements, in particular the bill "On the state policy of transition." According to the White House, the US is ready to support the implementation of the Minsk agreements.
Biden expressed concern about Russian troop movements near Ukraine's borders and outlined measures that the United States and its allies are ready to take in case of further escalation. According to Ushakov, he spoke about possible political, economic and financial sanctions, "in a fairly acceptable form". The White House preferred not to disclose the content of these measures, noting that they were ready "to do what they did not do in 2014".
Putin responded by stressing that responsibility should not be shifted to Moscow, which was interested in reliable, legally enshrined guarantees to prevent further NATO expansion eastward and the deployment of strike weapons in countries bordering Russia.
As a result, the leaders agreed that they would instruct their representatives to begin "substantive consultations on these sensitive issues," and Biden, according to Ushakov, promised to discuss the issue with his North Atlantic allies. Assistant to the US leader for national security Jake Sullivan noted that there were no official agreements, but the United States is ready for such a dialogue.
Bilateral relations
The conversation, according to the Kremlin press service, acknowledged the unsatisfactory state of relations between Washington and Moscow, including due to difficulties in the work of the "downsized" diplomatic missions. Putin reminded that this was a consequence of the US government line and suggested canceling the existing restrictions.
Ushakov clarified that Biden himself touched on the problems of diplomatic missions, which Ambassador in Moscow John Sullivan complained to him about. According to him, the US leader hinted that as a first step, Washington might allow Russian diplomats to inspect diplomatic property confiscated several years ago. The White House claims that the US president "did not say anything specific."
The conversation noted the importance of following through on the June 2021 Geneva summit and maintaining the "spirit of Geneva" when considering both bilateral relations and other issues that arise between Russia and the United States. Biden expressed hope for a new face-to-face meeting with Putin, but this topic was not specifically discussed.
The leaders recalled their alliance during World War II, which should be an example for "working together in today's realities," and expressed the view that, given the special responsibility for international security and stability, Moscow and Washington would continue their dialogue.
Cybersecurity and Iran
Putin and Biden, according to a Kremlin report, stressed the importance of dialogue on the topic of cybersecurity and expressed their willingness to continue practical cooperation in the fight against cybercrime. Ushakov later clarified that the leaders expressed satisfaction with the way this cooperation is going within the framework of the agreements reached in Geneva.
They also expressed the hope that the negotiations on the Iranian nuclear deal, which resumed in Vienna at the end of November, would be constructive and produce solutions acceptable to all the parties. The White House described the discussion of the problem as constructive.
Meetings at the highest level
The online meeting between Putin and Biden was the fifth time that the two presidents have spoken by telephone. They have spoken three times before and in June, when they met in person in Geneva.
The Kremlin press service described the talks as "frank and businesslike. According to Ushakov, it was "a normal conversation between two serious leaders," which also included "some space for jokes and an exchange of compliments. As an example of a joke, he said that Putin noticed that one of Biden's aides had a pen just like his.
According to an aide to the Russian president, Putin and Biden talked one-on-one, but their advisers were ready to join in at any moment. Footage released by the White House shows four people, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, in the room with Biden during the conversation with the Russian leader.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS