Lavrov: Moscow Has No Illusions about the Biden-Putin Summit

Nevertheless, there is an "objective need" for a dialogue between the leaders of the two largest nuclear powers, said the Russian Foreign Minister Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow has no "high expectations" or "illusions" about a possible breakthrough at the upcoming summit with the participation of US and Russian Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. The fact of the June 16 meeting in Geneva, the first personal meeting of the two leaders since Biden took office in January, is significant in itself, Lavrov said at a conference in Moscow on Wednesday. “We have no overestimated expectations, no illusions that any breakthroughs are coming. But there is an objective need for an exchange of views at the highest level on what threats Russia and the United States see as the two largest nuclear powers in the international arena,” Lavrov said. The United States and Russia have not yet finally agreed on the agenda of the talks, the head of Russian diplomacy said. According to him, Moscow is in favor of a dialogue on a wide range of issues related to strategic stability. “We have common interests in strategic stability,” Lavrov said. - We have quite intensive contacts on this topic about how to approach this area of world politics now. I will say frankly that we are in favor of a comprehensive approach ... Everything that affects strategic stability should be the subject of dialogue. " "The normalization of Russian-American relations is possible only if the principles of equality, mutual respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs are observed," said the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry. According to Lavrov, dialogue is better than no dialogue. “However, if our American colleagues continue to follow their own propaganda, which deafens, among other things, the American elite, then we probably won't have to wait much,” he added. By contrast, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has repeatedly stated that improving relations with Russia depends on Moscow's behavior.