Russia and the United States are working to organize a videoconference interview between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, at the height of tensions between the two countries around Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Friday (December 3rd).
Before any appeal, Ukraine calls for NATO to reject any Russian demand for “
guarantees
”.
Read also According to Kiev and Washington, Russia could attack Ukraine this winter
“
The work is in progress.
This is a videoconference,
”Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told reporters when asked about the format of this eagerly awaited interview.
"
The exact date has not yet been agreed,
" said Dmitry Peskov, adding that "
the two parties have their proposals regarding the dates, but they are not yet synchronized
".
"Positions diverge"
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov said Thursday that "
contact
" between the Russian and American presidents could take place "
in the next few days
", without further details. This announcement came on the day of a meeting between the head of Russian diplomacy, Sergey Lavrov, and his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, in the midst of tensions linked to Ukraine, Washington accusing Moscow of preparing an invasion of this country.
This meeting "
was a good opportunity for the two parties to explain their position to each other in a clear and understandable way
", said Friday Dmitry Peskov, noting however that "
on several subjects, the positions diverge
". The reasons for tensions between Washington and Moscow have multiplied in recent months, despite the desire for appeasement displayed by Vladimir Poutin and Joe Biden during their first summit, in June in Geneva.
One of the main points of contention concerns the movements of Russian troops around Ukraine, the scene since 2014 of a conflict between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists in the east.
In recent days, the United States, NATO and the European Union have continued to express their concern on this subject.
