Astana: With the tensions escalating between Moscow and Washington over the Ukraine invasion which is about to enter its ninth month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he saw “no need” for talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden, Reuters reported.
“You also need to ask him (US President Biden) if he is ready for talks. I see no need for talks with him- to tell you the truth. There is no platform for talks yet,” Reuters quoted Putin as saying on the possibility of a meeting with Biden on the sidelines of a G20 summit in November. He made these statements during a news conference in the Kazakh capital Astana.
Putin outrightly rejected a meeting with any of the G20 members.
“There is no decision either on my trip there (to Indonesia for the G20 summit). Russia will take part in the (G20 summit) work there, we are yet to choose the format. Meanwhile, we are not speaking about any direct talks with anybody from the G20 members yet,” the Russian president said as quoted by Reuters.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that President Joe Biden will not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Group of 20 summit next month — even to discuss the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner.
The upcoming G20 summit of Heads of State and Government Summit will take place on November 15-16, 2022 in Bali.
The Summit will be the pinnacle of the G20 process and intense work carried out within the Ministerial Meetings, Working Groups, and Engagement Groups throughout the year, as per the statement released by G20.
The Russian annexation has been widely criticized by the West and this action has also created more tensions in their relationship.
Recently, on Wednesday, US President hailed the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that condemned Russia’s annexation of four Ukrainian regions.
“Today, the overwhelming majority of the world–nations from every region, large and small, representing a wide array of ideologies and governments – voted to defend the United Nations Charter and condemn Russia’s illegal attempt to annex Ukrainian territory by force,” Biden said in a statement released by White House.
“143 nations stood on the side of freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity–even more than the 141 nations that voted in March to unequivocally condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine,” he added.
Biden’s statement came shortly after 143 members voted in favor of the resolution in the assembly which houses 193 members. Five voted countries voted against the resolution while 35 abstained, including India.
The US president said Russia is tearing at the very foundations of international peace and security.
“The stakes of this conflict are clear to all–and the world has sent a clear message in response: Russia cannot erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia cannot change borders by force. Russia cannot seize another country’s territory as its own,” he added.
Nearly eight months into this war, Biden said the world has just demonstrated that it is more united and more determined than ever to hold Russia accountable for its violations.
