Wednesday, 05 May 2021_US President Joe Biden says he hopes to meet his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, during a trip to attend the G7 summit in Europe.
“That is my hope and expectation. We’re working on it,” Biden said Tuesday in response to a question about the trip.
The Democratic president will attend the Group of Seven summit in England and hold meetings in the EU defect capital Brussels.
Biden, who held his first call as president with Putin in January, proposed a meeting with him last month without setting a date or location.
Biden adopted a different tone in a speech to Congress last week, saying: “I made very clear to President Putin that while we don’t seek escalation, their actions have consequences.”
He was referring to allegations that Russia sought to meddle with the US election as well as the hack of government and corporate computer networks often blamed on Moscow.
Russia has denied the claims, threatening Washington with a harsh response to sanctions imposed by the White House.
American and Russian counterparts have reportedly been working on setting up a Biden-Putin summit in a third country during Biden's first overseas trip as president.
Biden’s latest comments come as the two world powers remain increasingly at odds over a wide range of issues.
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