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Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S counterpart Joe Biden agreed to meet via videoconference. The talks will focus on bilateral affairs and relevant international issues, including Iran, Afghanistan, Libya and the crisis in Ukraine.
The date of the meeting between Russia's President and his U.S counterpart has been approved, yet will not be made public until after it occurs.
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"We are working on a possible contact between Putin and Biden in the videoconference format. This contact is to take place within days. We have a concrete date and time for this videoconference. But it is better to wait until all its parameters are agreed with the US side, and then we will be able to announce it officially. This videoconference meeting is being prepared quite actively," Yuri Ushakov, Russian presidential aide, declared to reporters on Friday in Moscow.
Ushakov stated that "The agenda is obvious. It will be an important contact as a follow-up to the Geneva talks. The progress in the implementation of the Geneva agreements will be touched upon."
He announced that the talks will be focused on bilateral affairs and relevant international issues, including Iran, Afghanistan, Libya and the crisis in Ukraine, adding that Syria may also be included. The heads of states will also debate "progress in the dialogue on strategic stability," Russia's presidential aid said.
Vladimir Putin met with Central Election Commission Chairperson Ella Pamfilova https://t.co/95zZ93uPGf pic.twitter.com/bREN6N7rgN
— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) December 3, 2021
Issues related to NATO will be on the table and legal agreements on the exclusion of NATO's eastward expansion will also be discussed. "I think that the Russian president will discuss this issue in the course of his upcoming contact with President Biden," Ushakov highlighted. He expressed that Moscow needs the assurance there won't be an expansion to the east by NATO.
"This is our proposal on the need to hold joint work with colleagues, with leading countries on reaching corresponding legal accords that would rule out any further eastward expansion by NATO and the deployment of weapon systems that directly threaten us on the territory of states bordering on Russia, including Ukraine," he said.
Putin's aide similarly asserted, "Given the current tense situation, there is an urgent need for us to be provided with appropriate guarantees, as it cannot go on like this," he highlighted.
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