"Warmly greeted each other": the Presidents of Russia and the United States hold talks on a special closed line
At about 18:00 Moscow time, a widely announced meeting of the presidents of Russia and the United States began, which is being held in video format. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden communicate through a special closed communication line, which was not previously used officially at all. Until now, this line has been used exclusively in a test version.
The first footage of the conversation between the presidents of Russia and the United States, published by the Kremlin press service, has also appeared. The heads of state greeted each other, and this greeting can hardly be called tense or somehow strained. As experts noted, if we ignore the extremely serious reason for the talks between Moscow and Washington, “it seems that this is a meeting of old friends who are happy to see each other.”
Biden greeted Putin with a wide smile and a gesture of his hand, the Russian president greet the head of the United States in return, and also with a smile on his face.
The US President noted that he would like to soon hold a meeting with his Russian counterpart in person too.
Recall that the main topic in the conversation between Putin and Biden is Ukraine, the situation in this country. Recently, the United States has constantly accused Russia of being ready to launch an offensive. Moscow responds by saying that Russia is not going to attack anyone. At the same time, Vladimir Putin previously noted that behind such accusations against the Russian Federation lies the constant advancement of NATO's military infrastructure to the Russian borders. The Russian President stated that Moscow intends to seek guarantees from the United States and NATO on the further non-proliferation of the bloc to the east and on the non-deployment of strike weapons near the borders of Russia.
Biden said earlier that he does not recognize any "red borders".
Political scientists in Russia and the United States believe that in the course of direct communication, the heads of state may come to a compromise solution. It can consist of a series of mutual concessions to avoid further escalation. Almost no one expects a special breakthrough from the meeting, but many are talking about a chance to avoid a large-scale conflict. Dialogue is in any case better than silence and further escalation of the situation.
Information