On Wednesday, Russia cooled President Biden’s proposal to meet with President Vladimir Putin for an in-person summit as U.S. ships go to the Black Sea to counter Moscow’s growing military presence in the region. (…)
The White House said Biden extended the invitation to Putin during a phone call Tuesday in which Biden warned the Russian leader not to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and rebuked him for his involvement in the US election. (…)
But Moscow remained uncompromising.
“It is still too early to talk about this meeting in tangible terms. It is a new proposal and will be studied, “Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that more talks would take place at the diplomatic level.
“The parties are not yet planning a number of issues for discussion, there is still no preparation for this meeting,” Peskov said.
Feelings are still raw among Cold War enemies after Biden referred last month to Putin as a “killer” who would “pay a price” for electoral interference, and Moscow responded by recalling its Washington ambassador.
In Tuesday’s call, the White House said Biden “made it clear that the United States will act firmly in defense of its national interests in response to Russia’s actions, such as cyber intrusions and electoral interference.”
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Policy Adviser Yuri Ushakov on Wednesday invited John Sullivan, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, to join the talks, warning that the Kremlin would respond harshly if the United States took “unpleasant steps,” such as the imposition of sanctions.
Russia has been massing troops and armored vehicles near the border with Crimea, which Putin illegally annexed in 2014, causing sanctions in the West, and has moved warships and landing craft from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea.
In return, the United States sent two ships – the USS Donald Cook and the USS Roosevelt – to the area and is expected to arrive as soon as Wednesday.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet conducted fire drills on Wednesday and frigate Admiral Grigorovich successfully launched a cruise missile, which hit a surface target, Russian news agency Tass reported.
Earlier this week, two Russian ships, the Graivoron and Vyshny Volochyok, conducted drills in the Black Sea and destroyed targets in the air, the news agency reported.
At the same time, the Ukrainian army tried to repel a tank and infantry attack on the Crimean border in an area that has seen an escalation of fighting that has continued since Russian forces began supporting separatist forces. after Putin annexed the peninsula.
The Ukrainian army posted videos of tanks maneuvering and troops firing artillery.
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