Biden and Putin Meet in Geneva

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The meeting between the presidents of the United States and Russia, in which Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken are taking part, is expected to last 4-5 hours. Negotiations between US President Joseph Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has started at the Villa La Grange in Geneva on Wednesday, June 16. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken are taking part in the meeting. These are the first talks between Putin and Biden since the latter took over as President of the United States. The meeting, which began exactly at the appointed time, is expected to last 4-5 hours. A joint press conference following the meeting is not planned. Washington's initiative On April 13, the head of the White House, during a telephone conversation with Putin, invited him to meet in a third country in the coming months. The American leader expressed concern about the sudden build-up of forces in the region bordering the Ukrainian Donbass, as well as in the territory of Crimea annexed by Russia. In this regard, Biden considers it necessary to discuss in a personal meeting "the entire range of topics that the United States and Russia are facing," the White House press service reported at the time. On May 25, the Kremlin announced an agreement between Moscow and Washington on summit talks in Geneva. Relations between Russia and a number of Western states, including the United States, have deteriorated in recent months. In mid-April, Biden signed a decree imposing new sanctions against Moscow. In addition, Washington has ordered the expelling of 10 Russian diplomats from the United States. Russia responded with a similar expulsion and banned a number of former and current senior US officials from entering.