The secure video communication line, which Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden will use for talks on Tuesday was established back during creative relations between the two countries, but it has been idle since, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One on Monday.
"Under the previous administrations, when there still remained at least something creative in our relations, an agreement was achieved to establish a secure video communication line for summit and high-level contacts between the two countries. It has remained idle, but its technical condition was maintained," Peskov said.
He added that in the light of the video-conferencing habit that came into fashion over the past two years a decision was made "to commission this line."
"The more so, since it allows for discussing the most sensitive issues," Peskov said.
Putin and Biden will hold talks by video link on December 7. Earlier, Peskov reported that the Russian leader would be in Sochi at the time.
Tensions around Ukraine can be removed only if Kiev gives up on its ideas to solve the problem of Donbass through the use of force, Peskov said.
"The crisis situation with Ukraine" will be discussed at talks between the Russian and US presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, on December 7, he noted.
"We heard a statement from the US president that he has concrete proposals on Ukraine for the video conference - obviously [proposals] on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis are implied. This is important. I think that President Putin will listen with great attention to these proposals, and it will be possible to understand to which extent they can ease tensions," Peskov said.
"There is only one way to defuse tensions - to understand how to ensure against the possible intentions of Kiev to solve the Donbass problem through force," he added. The spokesman drew attention to "an aggressive and hostile rhetoric coming from Europe’s capital cities" and from Washington on the situation around Ukraine. "We see clearly deliberate leaks in Western, as we say Anglo-Saxon media, which publicize various plans of Russia’s alleged invasion of Ukraine," the spokesman said.
He reiterated that Putin had "an absolutely clearly formulated position" as to the importance of launching talks on the system of guarantees that "cannot be unilateral." "This is a two-way road, clear, but at least this is a concrete initiative," the spokesman stressed.
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