US President Joe Biden does not exclude a possibility of negotiations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Ukraine if Putin shows interest in ending the conflict.
Speaking at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden said that he would need to see Russia's desire to end the special operation in Ukraine.
"The fact of the matter is I have no immediate plans to contact Mr. Putin," Biden told reporters as he stood alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at a joint news conference. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war," Biden said. "He hasn't done that yet. If that's the case, in consultation with my French and my NATO friends, I'll be happy to sit down with Putin to see what he wants, has in mind. He hasn't done that yet," ABC News reports.
Western media have repeatedly reported that the United States is seeking negotiations between the two countries. For example, The Washington Post, citing its sources, wrote that the Biden administration was privately urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to show openness to dialogue with Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron promised not to put pressure on Kyiv in this matter.
US President Joe Biden actually said that negotiations with Russia would be possible only after Vladimir Putin left Ukraine. However, this is impossible, the special military operation continues, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, TASS says.
The United States will not recognize the new territory as part of Russia, which complicates the search for grounds for mutual discussion, he added.
The Russian president was open to negotiations in order to ensure our interests, Peskov said. Putin tried to initiate negotiations with the United States, NATO and the OSCE, but the initiative did not receive reciprocity, the Kremlin spokesman concluded.