The White House poured cold water Friday on President Joe Biden’s conditional offer to sit down with President Vladimir Putin said, “No intentions” at present of Meeting.
“he does not have intentions To speak with Mr. Putin now. And as it is also Putin, he said, showed absolutely no inclination to care in dialogue of what kind. In fact, “Quite the opposite,” White House National Security Adviser John Kirby told reporters.
Biden said Thursday during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron said he was willing to talk with Putin about the Russian Ukraine solution invasion If the Kremlin leader “is looking for a way to end the war.”
It was as far as Biden would go in Expressing openness to meeting Putin, who ordered him military to launch invasion of Neighboring, pro-Western Ukraine more From nine months ago, causing global diplomatic and economic shocks.
The Kremlin did not accept Biden’s initial offer. with A spokesman for Dmitry Peskov said that Biden’s terms were reached “only after Putin left Ukraine”.
Meanwhile, Kirby said the West is not pushing Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to enter talks with Russia at a time when Ukrainian forces have achieved repeated successes against invasion military.
“The president has never indicated that the time has come for talks. in factIt has been consistent that only President Zelensky can determine if and when there will be a negotiated settlement and the circumstances surrounding that settlement will look like. likesaid Kirby.
“The war can end today without talks if Putin does the right thing and just left Ukraine. His forces don’t belong there in The first place. “
