Kremlin said the agenda of the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden will include issues pertaining to strategic stability, the fight against COVID-19 and cybersecurity, as well as regional problems.
“These are the state and prospects for the development of Russia-US relations, the main issues of strategic stability, information security, the fight against cybercrime. Specific outstanding issues of bilateral relations will be discussed separately, then the topics of economic cooperation, climate, the Arctic and, of course, the fight against the coronavirus,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said, commenting on the agenda.
The presidential aide also noted that “regional problems are saved for last.” The leaders, in particular, will discuss the Middle East settlement, the situation in Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as well as the Iranian nuclear program. Special attention is planned to be paid to Nagorno-Karabakh and the situation in Belarus, Ushakov added.
The crisis in Ukraine will be discussed among other regional issues if one of the parties does not touch upon this topic during the meeting earlier, which is quite possible, the official said, explaining that it will depend on how the discussion goes.
“These are the topics that are agreed on the agenda, but you are well aware that the presidents can touch upon any topic at their discretion. Issues that are not agreed upon in advance and not indicated in the agenda may also be raised,” Ushakov said, as quoted by Sputnik news agency.
He went on to say that strategic stability would be one of the key topics of the summit, noting that “in recent years, many serious problems have accumulated in this area, caused by a number of unilateral steps by the United States.”
Among these steps, Ushakov named the withdrawal from international agreements on limiting arms development.
Source: Agencies
