US President Joe Biden is confident that he knows what to expect from Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming meeting, said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, White House website states.
“Biden’s view is that this is not a meeting about trust, it’s not a meeting about friendship - it’s a meeting about figuring out where we can find common ground, and also being straightforward and candid about areas where we have concern,” Psaki said.
A White House spokeswoman had to interpret US First Lady Jill Biden as saying her husband was ‘overprepared’ to meet with Putin.
“Well, what I think she meant by that - I also know she said - which I agree with, from having many conversations with him - is that foreign policy, national security, you know, engaging on the world stage is an area that has been a central focus of his 50 years in public life and public office,” Psaki said.
High-ranking officials of the two countries, however, do not have high expectations from that meeting. The Kremlin has said it does not expect a breakthrough from the summit, taking into account the scale of the controversy. On the eve of the summit, high-ranking US officials have repeatedly said that predictability in relations with Russia is still the desired goal of the administration, not the current reality.
The meeting of Russian and American presidents Putin and Biden will take place on June 16 in Geneva.