Biden says negotiations with Putin possible, but there is one condition.
US President Joe Biden said Thursday he is open to holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since the Ukraine invasion, but only if he wants to end the war. Biden was speaking during a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, APA reports citing the Independent.
At a joint news conference, Biden said, “I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if, in fact, there is an interest in him deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war. He hasn’t done that yet.”
US President Joe Biden said he has no immediate plans to contact Vladimir Putin but is prepared to speak with the Russian president if he shows an interest in ending the war in Ukraine, and only in consultation with NATO allies, Report also informs referring to Reuters.
“I have no immediate plans to contact Mr Putin,” Biden said at a White House news conference after talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
“I’m prepared to speak with Mr. Putin, if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he’s looking for a way to end the war. He hasn’t done that yet.”
Biden and Macron pledged their countries solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s war and vowed to work together to deal with the economic difficulties the conflict has brought.
Biden put the onus on ending the war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, squarely on Putin.
“There’s one way for this war to end, the rational way: Putin could pull out of Ukraine, No. 1. It appears he’s not going to do that. He’s paying a very heavy price for failing to do it.”
Both Biden and Macron also vowed support for Ukraine and pledged to hold Moscow accountable for war crimes.
“If that’s the case, in consultation with my French and my NATO friends, I’ll be happy to sit down with Putin to see what he has in mind. He hasn’t done that yet.”
“There’s one way for this war to end, the rational way. Putin to pull out of Ukraine, number one. But it appears he’s not. Bombing nurseries, hospitals, and children’s homes. It’s sick what he’s doing,” he said.
“The idea that Putin is ever going to defeat Ukraine is beyond comprehension,” Biden said.
“He’s miscalculated every single thing he initially calculated.”
Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February earlier this year, Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken both warned it of consequences if it attacked.
Meanwhile, Macron told reporters that he planned to talk to Putin about the security of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia plant in Ukraine.