President Joe Biden will meet in-person for the first time with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16 for the first time since taking office, the White House announced Tuesday.
The meeting comes as the relationship between the two countries has severely declined amid a number of disagreements, including a recent Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian border, the poisoning and imprisonment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections and the SolarWinds hacking.
“The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the U.S.-Russia relationship,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Biden is scheduled to attend the Group of Seven summit of world leaders in Cornwall, U.K., from June 11-13, followed by the NATO summit on June 14 in Brussels, Belgium, his first foreign trip as president. Biden will meet with Putin following those engagements.
