There Are Serious Differences, Kremlin Says President Putin And President Biden Agree To Continue Talks

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin and United States President Joe Biden agreed to resume talks, holding more discussions amid tensions over the addition of Russian troops near Ukraine, the Kremlin said Sunday.

The Kremlin said Putin and Biden had agreed to hold more talks during a video call on December 7 that focused on East-West relations, which have slumped to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War and are currently strained by a buildup of Russian troops near Ukraine.

President Biden used the video call to warn President Putin that the West would impose "strong economic and other sanctions" on Russia if Moscow invaded Ukraine.

Meanwhile President Putin is demanding assurances that NATO will not expand further east. In addition, the Kremlin said that at some stage President Putin wanted a direct meeting with President Biden.

In a video released on state TV, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Putin had no particular reason for optimism after speaking with President Biden.

This is because there are very serious differences between Russia and the United States over what Moscow calls the 'red line', a line that Moscow strongly warns the West not to cross.

Despite NATO's further eastward expansion, Russia has said it does not want certain offensive weapons to be deployed in countries bordering it, such as Ukraine.

President Putin on December 7 told President Biden that Russian troops were on the territory of their own country and did not pose a threat to anyone, Peskov said.

"Right now tensions and so on are being created to further demonize Russia and make it a potential aggressor," Peskov said, quoted by Reuters on December 12.

However, he said the two leaders had agreed to hold another round of talks, possibly via video link, the format both presidents prefer.

"(We) will definitely meet each other, I really want that to happen," President Putin told President Biden, according to a short video released on state TV channel Rossiya 1.

However, the Kremlin said it was too early to say when the two leaders could meet in person.

To note, a video call between President Biden and President Putin calmed investors' nerves, helping the Russian ruble to regain ground after a sell-off spurred by another wave of fears about new Western sanctions against Moscow.