'We will see': Joe Biden acknowledges possibility of meeting Russian Prez Putin on Jan 10

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday acknowledged the possibility of holding a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin early next year. “We’ll see,” Biden said in response to a question about a possible meeting with his Russian counterpart on January 10, according to the White House. If the meeting does take place, the two leaders are expected to hold talks on arms control and the situation in Ukraine. 

According to the White House, the January 10 meeting would take place days before a reported Russia-NATO meeting on January 12 and a Russia-Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on January 13. It is to mention that earlier this month, following a virtual meeting with Biden, Putin had said that he and his American counterpart will have to meet again, possibly in a video format. During the two-hour virtual talks, the two leaders had discussed Ukraine tensions and other disputes but did not make any breakthroughs. 

The relations between the US and Russia have sunk to their lowest since the end of the Cold War. In recent months, the tensions between the two sides have also heightened especially as officials warned that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine. During their virtual conversation, Biden had warned that if Russia acted militarily against Ukraine, the US and its allies would retaliate with severe economic as well as other actions. 

Russia-US tensions over Ukraine 

Biden has repeatedly highlighted concerns of the US and its European allies about the increase in deployment of Russian forces surrounding Ukraine. Putin, on the other hand, has voiced rising vexation over Western military aid to Ukraine, a fellow former USSR that has tilted towards the West since a revolt toppled a pro-Russian president in 2014, and what it calls creeping NATO expansion. Moscow has even questioned Ukrainian intentions and has said that it wants guarantees that Kyiv will not use force to try to retake territory lost in 2014 to Russia-backed separatists. 

Meanwhile, the US has shared intelligence about Russian military movements along the border with allies. They have discussed crippling financial sanctions as a response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Earlier this month, during the G7 meeting in the UK, the US and other members of the group also echoed to exert pressure on Russia against any possible action that could hamper the existence of Ukraine. The group had even tabled a proposal to impose economic sanctions on Moscow. 

(Image: AP)