The Biden-Putin summit is set to take place in Switzerland next month
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“President Biden will meet with President Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16, 2021. As we seek to restore foresight and stability in US-Russia relations, leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues,” the White House said in a statement.
In his own statement, the Kremlin said, “We would like to discuss government and opportunities for further improvement in Russian-US relations, issues of strategic stability and topics on the international agenda, including involvement in the fight against the corona virus. Resolution of infectious and regional conflicts.”
The long-awaited meeting comes at the end of Biden’s first international trip since taking office.
The White House sent National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan to Geneva this week to meet with his defense representative, officials said, adding that details of the meeting between Biden and Putin have been revealed.
A White House spokesman declined to comment on the host city’s final location.
This is the first meeting with Pita since he took office. But Biden met with Putin during his previous term as vice president, including in the 2011 meeting, in which he declared: “I do not think you have a soul.”
Biden initially proposed a summit during a phone call with the Russian president last month, after which both sides are working to finalize the details. Despite the deteriorating relations between the two countries on issues such as Ukraine and electoral interference, Biden hopes to establish a clear means of communication that avoids unnecessary surprises.
Putin accepted the offer for its role in a massive cyber-attack on government institutions, even after the United States imposed severe sanctions and other sanctions on Russia.
Russia’s opposition leader Alexei Navalny’s poisoning and imprisonment, the Solar Winds hack and the US’s adjusting its stance on Russia by finalizing sanctions following its alleged credit to the United States have sent a tumultuous start to world leaders. Troops serving in Afghanistan.
In an interview in March, Biden called Putin an assassin, saying the Russian leader would “pay a price” for efforts to undermine the 2020 US election.
In response, the Kremlin recalled its ambassador to the United States for the first time in more than 20 years. Putin responded to Biden’s criticism with a dry desire for “good health” and a proposal for a live televised debate.
The specific agenda and format of the Swiss meeting is still coming together, officials said, adding that Biden is making his presidential debut in the international arena.
He is set to leave for his first foreign trip in early June, seeking to reassure world leaders at the Group 7 summit in the southwest UK and the NATO and EU summit in Brussels. He will travel to Switzerland following meetings in the United Kingdom and Brussels.
This story has been updated with additional background information and reporting.
CNN’s Kevin Liptack, Kylie Atwood, Nicole Cout and Chandelis Duster contributed to the report.
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