Putin Says, There’s No Platform for Talks with Biden at This Point

Oct. 15, 2022 (EIRNS)—During his press conference in Astana, Kazakhstan yesterday, a reporter asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he would be willing to meet with Biden at the G20 summit in Indonesia if he goes. “You will have to ask him if he is ready for such talks as well,” he said. “To be honest, I do not see the need for it. By and large, there is no platform for any kind of negotiations at this point.”

This question had followed a previous one in which a reporter asked Putin about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s efforts to set up talks in Istanbul between Russia on the one side and the U.S., U.K., France and Germany on the other. Putin thanked Erdogan for his efforts that resulted in both the prisoner exchange with Kiev and the grain deal—though, he said, not enough grain is going to poorer countries. He also named the United Arab Emirates as another willing mediator and India and China as advocates for dialogue. “But we are also aware of Kiev’s position; they kept saying they wanted talks, and even sort of asked for them, but have now passed an official decision that bans such talks. Well, what is there to discuss?” If Kiev is ever ready for talks “we will welcome it,” Putin said. “At that point, the mediation efforts of all the stakeholders may come in handy.”