US says Biden will seek common interests in meeting with Putin

The US president is focused on seeking possible common interests between Washington and Moscow, rather than building trust or friendship, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said

At a briefing for reporters on Sunday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that US President Joe Biden’s upcoming meeting with Russian head of state Vladimir Putin is focused on finding possible common interests between Washington and Moscow, not on building trust or friendship, TASS reported.

“As you well know, he has previously interacted with President Putin. And as you know, he definitely knows what to expect. In his view, this meeting has nothing to do with trust, it has nothing to do with friendship, it’s a meeting to see what we can find common ground by being straightforward and frank about the areas that we have concerns about”, –  Psaki said.

She also noted that Biden had “taken some time to prepare” before attending the series of summits, despite having extensive experience in politics. “

It’s a very busy trip. And he will definitely set aside time to prepare with his aides, to discuss what opportunities there are to engage with President Putin,” the White House spokeswoman added. – “But I would reiterate that he’s been preparing for this moment for 50 years.”