Kremlin Reveals Some Details Of Upcoming Talks Between Putin And Biden

The December 7 video conference meeting between Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Joe Biden of the United States won’t be broadcast apart from its very start, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday, adding that most of the meeting would take place behind closed doors.

"There will be no live broadcast. I think we will show the very beginning of the meeting. The very beginning will be broadcast, the entire meeting will be held behind closed doors," he pointed out.

When asked when the meeting was expected to start, Peskov said: "At about six in the evening [Moscow time]." "We believe that it will be sufficiently extensive and lengthy video conference held via a secured communication channel. We expect it to be a long one," the Russian presidential spokesman noted.

In response to a question about the participation of delegations, Peskov said: "We proceed from the fact that it will be a direct conversation between the two presidents, I can’t say who will be beside President Biden." He added that Putin "contacts the relevant ministers and heads of agencies" in the run-up to all serious negotiations.

"It will be necessary to discuss what is being done to implement the understandings that were achieved in Geneva and to take a look at what is being implemented to the full extent and what requires extra efforts. Of course, this concerns bilateral relations, whose condition remains deplorable." the Kremlin official said.

"Then the presidents will discuss the high-profile issues on the agenda - in the first place, tensions over Ukraine, NATO’s expansion towards our borders and Putin’s security guarantees initiative," Peskov said.

He stressed that security guarantees could not be unilateral. "There can be only mutual guarantees," he remarked.

"President Putin is a politician who insists on mutual respect and equitable bilateral relations," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Peskov said the Kremlin’s press-service would publish a news release following the talks. "We will issue a news release, the way we usually do," the presidential spokesman added. He said that a conference call for the media would be arranged, if necessary, but for the time being it was not on the agenda. Peskov answered in the negative, when asked if Putin was expected to make a statement following the conversation.