After Russia sanctions, Joe Biden says ‘time to de-escalate’
- The president says he told Putin the US ‘could have gone further’ to punish Moscow, but was not looking to ‘kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict’
- The Russian leader has not responded to an invitation for a summit, but Biden says their teams are discussing that possibility
Biden described the sanctions, which are aimed at the Russian economy and dozens of individuals, as a “measured and proportionate” response to Moscow’s hostile actions against the United States.
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Biden’s proposed summit with Putin, which he said could take place “this summer in Europe,” would be a chance to “launch a strategic stability dialogue.”
Putin has not yet responded to the invitation but Biden said “our teams are discussing that possibility right now”.
Biden said there were “critical global challenges that require Russia and the United States to work together, including reining in nuclear threats from Iran and North Korea, ending this (coronavirus) pandemic globally, and meeting the existential crisis of climate change.”