The talks between the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and Joe Biden were held on December 7 in the format of a videoconference and lasted two hours. Bilateral relations, strategic stability, as well as the situation in Ukraine were discussed as part of the online meeting. In general, the conversation had reportedly a frank and businesslike character.
It is specified that the negotiations were held in private. The leaders communicated through interpreters located in different rooms. The Rossiya 1 TV channel explained that Putin took part in a videoconference from the meeting room of the Russian Security Council, which was specially protected from wiretapping. Two cameras were installed on the table in front of him, and a monitor was fixed next to them on a special stand, to which a signal was sent from Washington.
According to Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, a secure communication channel between Russia and the US existed earlier too but it was decided to use it only now to organize negotiations.
In turn, when the White House published a picture from Biden’s office, it was visible that during the negotiations in the room, in addition to the main interlocutor of Putin, there were four more people, including the Head of the State Department Antony Blinken.
As for the talks, among others, it was about the implementation of the results of the Russian-American summit held in Geneva in June 2021. In this context, the two parties recalled the alliance of the two countries during the Second World War. They stressed that the sacrifices made then should not be forgotten, and the alliance itself should serve as an example for building contacts in modern realities.
As reported on the official website of the Russian President, the predominant place in the conversation was occupied by issues related to the internal Ukrainian crisis and the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements of 2015. Putin illustrated Kiev’s destructive line with concrete examples and expressed serious concern about Kiev’s provocative actions against Donbass.
Biden, for his part, emphasized the allegedly “threatening” nature of the movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian borders and outlined sanctions measures that the US and its allies would be ready to apply in case of further escalation of the situation.
To this, Putin noted that responsibility should not be shifted to Russia’s shoulders, because it is NATO that is making dangerous attempts to develop Ukrainian territory and is building up military potential near Russian borders. Therefore, Russia is seriously interested in obtaining reliable, legally fixed guarantees that exclude the expansion of NATO in the eastern direction. The leaders agreed to instruct their representatives to engage in substantive consultations on these sensitive issues.
During the exchange of views on information security, both sides expressed readiness to continue practical cooperation in criminal procedural and operational-technical areas of combating cybercrime.
The situation around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian Nuclear Programme was also discussed. The parties expressed hope that the negotiations resumed in Vienna at the end of November on this issue will be held in a constructive manner and will allow reaching solutions acceptable to all participants.
During the discussion of bilateral issues, it was stated that cooperation is still in an unsatisfactory state, which is manifested, in particular, in the difficulties experienced by the reduced diplomatic missions of both countries in their work. The Russian side proposed to reset all restrictions on the functioning of diplomatic missions.
In addition, the parties expressed the opinion that taking into account the special responsibility for maintaining international security and stability, Russia and the US will continue the dialogue and the necessary contacts.
As reported, shortly before the end of the negotiations, the White House press service announced that after communicating with Putin, Biden would call European leaders and tell them about the results of the conversation.
After meeting with the Russian President in Geneva, Biden said that the effectiveness of negotiations and the possibility of dialogue with Russia will be seen in six months.
Ru-Main, 08.12.2021
Source: RBC
