Kremlin Reveals Details of Putin-Biden ‘Businesslike’ Phone Call

By Staff, Agencies 

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden held a telephone conversation on Tuesday. According to the White House account of the discussion, issues raised included strategic stability, Russia's alleged 'cyber intrusions' and election meddling, and America's "unwavering commitment" to Ukraine. A summit meeting was proposed.

Tuesday's phone call between Presidents Putin and Biden was "businesslike" and of considerable duration, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Peskov said the two men had agreed that the possibility of their meeting would be discussed through diplomatic channels. Moscow, he said, is only now starting to receive information about organizational and other aspects related to the organization of the possible summit.

"Before now there was simply a dearth of information about how it would take place, in what order, who would speak, who would chair it, what the outcome is expected to be, whether a final document would be issued, etc. We are just starting to get answers to all these questions; we are still studying them," the presidential spokesman said.

Commenting on the escalation of Russia-US tensions surrounding Ukraine, Peskov stressed that a de-escalation of the situation in that country would only take place if the Ukrainian army rejected any provocative actions.

"We consider the expression of any concerns from any side, including the United States, in connection with the movements of Russia's armed forces inside Russia, to be groundless. On the territory of Ukraine, de-escalation can only occur if the Ukrainian armed forces reject provocative actions," he said.

Earlier, the White House readout of Tuesday's telephone conversation between Putin and Biden said that the US president had "voiced" Washington's "concerns over the sudden Russian military buildup in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine's borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions."

Peskov said he would not comment on whether the Russian side would ask Biden to apologize over last month's remarks in which he agreed with a journalist's characterization of the Russian president as a "killer" and threatened to make him "pay a price" over alleged meddling in America's elections. "I will leave this issue without comment," he said.

Finally, asked to comment on whether Alexei Navalny, the Russian opposition vlogger whom the US and its allies accused Moscow of poisoning, was brought up in the Putin-Biden telephone talks, Peskov said his name was not mentioned.