Moscow expects no breakthroughs in Putin-Biden video meeting

MOSCOW

Russia said it does not expect a breakthrough in a video meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden later on Tuesday.

"No need to expect any breakthrough from this conversation. This is a working talk that is taking place during a very difficult period," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.

Peskov said the meeting demonstrates that despite major disagreements, Putin and Biden were ready to hold talks.

Russia seeks "a good, predictable relationship" with the US, the spokesman said, adding that Putin was willing to hear out Biden's concerns.

"However, the talk should be respectful of both partners' interests and concerns," he stressed.

Peskov refused to comment on a recent statement by Ukraine's Defense Ministry accusing Moscow of provoking its military forces, saying only that Russia has no plans to attack another country.

In response to US media reports that Washington is preparing fresh sanctions against Moscow, the spokesman said that while there was no confirmation of such intentions, "the US predictability in this matter leaves much to be desired."

Separately, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov alleged that Kyiv was deliberately inciting Washington to oppose Moscow ahead of the presidential summit.

"We'll see how the conversation (between Putin and Biden) progresses, but we're also concerned about how Kyiv is provoking its curators," he said.

Despite disagreements and differing interpretations of the 2014 Minsk Protocol, Russia seeks US support in resolving the Ukrainian crisis, and it is heavily reliant on the US because the Kyiv authorities seem to be listening to no one but Washington, he said.

The Russian and US presidents will hold a video phone call on Tuesday at around 6 p.m. Moscow time (1500GMT).