Putin’s spokesman says only the Russia-US summit can fix relations

Photo: CNN

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an exclusive interview on Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would travel to Geneva, Switzerland, not only to appear with US President Joe Biden, but also to call for a summit on “bad relations” between the two countries. “An important stage in this relationship requires a summit between our respective countries because it is the only way to avoid further deteriorating our dialogue,” Peskov told CNN.

The summit in Geneva comes next week as relations between the two countries reach new heights in the first months of the Biden government.

Moscow intervened in the 2020 elections, and the United States announced tough sanctions in April to punish the occupation of Crimea and “serious human rights abuses” and solar wind hacker attacks – one of America’s worst data breaches. Suffered.

Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, was expelled from Washington in March after Biden called Putin a murderer. John Sullivan, the US ambassador to Russia, has left Moscow.

In a U.S. troop suspension, Biden said on Wednesday that he was going to defend the notion of democracy in Europe, and he warned of the Russian problem. “I will address the G7, then the NATO ministerial meeting, then I will meet with Putin and let him know what I want him to know,” Biden said.

Therefore, the summit will be “a good opportunity” to broadcast the concerns of the two countries, Peskov said on Friday.

Moreover, the spokesman accused the United States of stifling dialogue between the two countries “on all fronts” over the past five or seven years. “Like the struggle against, including what is important to our people and even to humanity [atentados] Terrorists, economic cooperation against climate change, cooperation on vaccines, epidemics. They refuse to cooperate with us in the fight against things like digital crime. “

Commenting on the news that there will be no joint press conference at the end of the Biden-Putin meeting, Peskov told CNN that Russia was not expecting one. However, the Kremlin said talks on a final form were ongoing.

“We have heard from our American colleagues about this possibility, but we are still waiting for final confirmation, but from the beginning President Putin has been open to any alternatives,” Peskov said.

Spokesman Putin is ready to attend a joint press conference or hold a meeting in Geneva.

One important issue that Biden may raise is that Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was arrested earlier this year for violating the parole terms of the 2014 trial. However, Putin told CNN that he did not plan to address Navinini’s question. Never referred by name.

Asked if Putin planned not to back down if raised at the summit on Wednesday, a Kremlin spokesman said: “Well, there is nothing to discuss about this. There is nothing to discuss about this man. He has been arrested and it is not on the agenda of our bilateral relations. “

A Moscow court on Wednesday ruled that two organizations affiliated with Navalny were “extremist” groups, forcing them to close and barring their members from running in the upcoming elections. Both groups deny the allegations of terrorism.

As for Pita, the goal of the Geneva summit is to facilitate a more stable and predictable diplomatic relationship with Russia.

But his administration has kept expectations low for the meeting, with some basic agreements suggesting that the United States and Russia leave the meeting.

“We don’t think about the US-Russia summits,” National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters this week. “We see this as an opportunity to communicate what our goals and abilities are.”

Next Wednesday’s talks will be tense for both leaders, as U.S. officials say the agenda includes cyber attacks, human rights abuses and Russian actions in Ukraine.

Biden initially proposed the summit with the Russian president in a phone call in April, and since then both sides have been trying to finalize the details.

Despite the deteriorating relations between the two countries on issues such as Ukraine and electoral interference, Biden hopes to establish a clear communication channel that will avoid unnecessary surprises.

The meeting marks the end of Biden’s first foreign trip as President of the United States, beginning with the G7 summit at a seaside resort in Cornwall, England. On Sunday, after the conclusion of the G7, Biden will travel to Brussels for a NATO summit, which will be followed by a meeting with Putin.

Translated text. Read the original here, In Spanish.