U.S. President Joe Biden wants to discuss the stabilization of bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
An akin statement was made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a joint press conference with the UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raabon on Monday, May 3.
The White House representative noted that if Russia decided to stabilize bilateral relations with the U.S., Washington would act correspondingly, and the upcoming Biden-Putin meeting is a good opportunity to discuss it.
“President Biden’s been very clear for a long time, including before he was President, that if Russia chooses to act recklessly or aggressively, we’ll respond. But we’re not looking to escalate. We would prefer to have a more stable, more predictable relationship. And if Russia moves in that direction, so will we, and I think President Biden will have an opportunity when he meets with President Putin to talk about that directly,” Blinken stated.
The U.S. State Secretary has also noted that there are areas of mutual interest for both the Unites States and the Russian Federation, thus providing the possibility of cooperation.
“And indeed, there are areas where it is manifestly in the interests of both countries to try to find ways to work together, strategic stability probably being at the top of the list. And indeed already, despite the profound differences that we have, we managed to extend the New START agreement by five years. We’ll look for other opportunities. But… this is really a function of what Russia chooses to do or not to,” Antony Blinken added.