Biden is expected to speak with Putin in the “near future,” Blinken told Reuters on Friday, and will tell the Russian leader the US will stand up to any “reckless or aggressive” actions by Russia.
However, the top US diplomat and long-time Biden foreign policy adviser said that the White House is looking for a more stable and predictable relationship with the Kremlin.
“There are areas where we have overlapping interests and we should be able to work together if we can have some stability and predictability in the relationship. Russia’s actions and the threat of further aggression against Ukraine moves in exactly the opposite direction,” Blinken said.
Moscow has categorically denied US accusations of “aggression” against Ukraine.
Blinken has just returned from a trip to Europe, where he met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. One of the topics on their agenda was the upcoming summit between Putin and Biden, which is still being arranged.
The two leaders last met in Geneva, Switzerland in June. They did not hold a joint press conference after the summit.
