Kremlin says Putin and Biden to keep engaging despite no breakthrough in talks

Biden warned Putin on Tuesday the West would impose "strong economic and other measures" on Russia if it invades Ukraine, while Putin demanded guarantees NATO would not expand further eastward. "It's hard to expect any sudden breakthroughs, but the presidents demonstrated their willingness to continue practical work and begin discussing sensitive issues that seriously concern Moscow," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after the two-hour talks.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it expected no immediate breakthroughs in strained U.S.-Russia relations after President Vladimir Putin held virtual talks with Joe Biden on Tuesday but said the two leaders would keep engaging on practical matters. Biden warned Putin on Tuesday the West would impose "strong economic and other measures" on Russia if it invades Ukraine, while Putin demanded guarantees NATO would not expand further eastward.

"It's hard to expect any sudden breakthroughs, but the presidents demonstrated their willingness to continue practical work and begin discussing sensitive issues that seriously concern Moscow," Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said after the two-hour talks. Putin and Biden underlined the need to try to normalise their countries' troubled relations and to continue cooperating on issues of mutual interest such as cyber security, Ushakov said.

Putin had made what he called a radical proposal to nullify all the restrictions on their respective diplomatic missions, something he said could potentially help assuage tensions between Moscow and Washington. "This could be a way to cooperate in other areas," he said.

Both countries have limited the number of staff working at their respective embassies in a series of tit-for-tat moves that have made it hard for the U.S. embassy in Moscow in particular. Ushakov said that the two leaders had not discussed a proposal to meet in person on neutral territory despite having previously mooted the idea.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)