Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan earlier said that the US President was meeting his Russian counterpart not “despite” but precisely because of the two countries’ differences…reports Asian Lite News.
US President Joe Biden has started his first major overseas trip with a warning to Russia that it faces “robust and meaningful” consequences if it engages in “harmful activities”, media reported.
Addressing US troops and their families at the RAF Mildenhall airbase in Suffolk on Wednesday, where he landed before travelling on to Cornwall, Biden said he would deliver a clear message to Putin, the BBC reported.
Biden is due to meet Russian President in Geneva at the end of this trip.
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Biden also said that US is “not seeking conflict with Russia” but “want a stable and predictable relationship”
“… but I’ve been clear: The United States will respond in a robust and meaningful way if the Russian government engages in harmful activities,” BBC quoted Biden as saying.
The White House has indicated that he intends to cover a “full range of pressing issues” with his Russian counterpart, including arms control, climate change, Russian military involvement in Ukraine, Russia’s cyber-hacking activities and the jailing of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny.
Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan earlier said that the US President was meeting his Russian counterpart not “despite” but precisely because of the two countries’ differences.
“We do not regard a meeting with the Russian president as a reward. We regard it as a vital part of defending America’s interests and America’s values,” Sullivan said.
“When President Biden returns to Washington next week, we believe that we will be in a materially stronger position to manage the major threats and challenges this country faces,” Sullivan said.
The Adviser also stressed that nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting between heads of government.
This is especially true for Putin, who has a “highly personalized style of decision making”.
Therefore, he said, it was important for Biden “to sit down with (Putin) face to face” and be clear about US expectations. Talking directly to Putin is also “the most effective way to understand what Russia intends and plans”.
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