SOCHI/WASHINGTON, December 8. The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden ended at 20:10 Moscow time; they lasted for slightly over two hours.
The conversation started at about 18:08. As was reported earlier, the conference agenda included the situation around Ukraine, NATO’s eastward expansion, strategic stability and bilateral issues. Besides, the two leaders planned to touch upon regional security issues, including the situation in Afghanistan.
At the beginning of the video conference, Putin and Biden greeted each other, with US President expressing his hope for an in-person meeting with the Russian leader in the future. Further talks proceeded behind closed doors.
The video conference was organized via a secure video conference line, designed for communication between world leaders, and used for the first time today. Putin contacted his US counterpart from his Sochi residence.
According to a Bloomberg report, Biden intends to discuss the outcome of the talks with the European allies.
The today’s conference is the fifth conversation between Putin and Biden since the latter’s assumption of the presidential office. Previously, the two leaders had three phone calls and met in person in Geneva in June this year. The Geneva summit became the first Russia-US summit since 2018.
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