The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he was ready to meet with his US counterpart Joe Biden on the eve of the Russian-American summit in Geneva, but understood that this was unlikely to happen. Zelensky said this in an interview with the information portal Axios published on Sunday.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – June 07, 2021 – Diplomatic Affairs
“I believe that consultations should be held face to face because many things cannot be discussed over the phone. I understand that previously prepared plans and a tight schedule of the President of the United States may not allow this, but choose him. As the guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine, I am ready to defend Ukraine at any time and in any place on the planet, and I am ready to meet with him and discuss all the details before the meeting (Biden with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva), “Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president added that representatives of the US president have not yet contacted the Ukrainian authorities for consultations on the upcoming US-Russian summit. “Not yet, and I think the decision (on consultations) lies with them,” Zelensky said in response to the question, saying that if the United States decides not to consult with Ukraine on this topic, “it would be a big mistake.”
On April 13, Joe Biden offered a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation. On May 25, the parties confirmed that the meeting would take place on June 16 in Geneva.
Later, White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki listed topics that US President Joe Biden intends to discuss at a meeting in Geneva with Kremlin President Vladimir Putin. Among them she named Ukraine.
Earlier, Switzerland opened accreditation for the Biden-Putin summit on June 16.
The parties to the summit have already commented on future expectations from the meeting. Yes, Putin said he did not expect breakthroughs after meeting with Biden when the White House said it did not expect the presidential summit to “solve all the problems.”
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Source: Ukrgate