Russia Says Diplomatic Process Between Biden, Putin 'Will Not Be Simple'

Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't ready to commit to a meeting with President Joe Biden, but a recent meeting between the countries' top officials is a move in the right direction, according to Russia.

Biden calling Putin a "killer" in March did little to help an already strained relationship and election interference, sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine have helped drag ties between Russia and the U.S. to a post–Cold War low. Tense words were exchanged during a meeting between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, although both expressed the desire to find a way to work together.

Biden's interested in meeting with Putin in person during a trip to Europe next month, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov wouldn't confirm it would happen.

"It's obvious this process will not be simple," Peskov told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters. "Many problems have built up."

Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.

Wednesday's meeting between Blinken and Lavrov was a "positive signal," according to Peskov, and he said it will help"inform" Moscow's analysis as to whether Putin wants to meet with Biden.

It was the first time Blinken and Lavrov met in person and neither tried to sugarcoat the differences in how the two countries view the world.

"When it comes to those differences, as President Biden has also shared with President Putin, if Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners, and our allies, we'll respond—and President Biden has demonstrated that in both word and deed, not for purposes of escalation, not to seek out conflict, but to defend our interests," Blinken said. "We seek a predictable, stable relationship with Russia."

Lavrov called Russia's position "simple" in that they're willing to have discussions as long as they're "honest, with the facts on the table, and of course on the basis of mutual respect." He told reporters after the meeting that he felt the talks were "constructive" and they were interested in moving forward despite it not being "easy" because "there is a lot of rubble."

Russia hasn't taken kindly to U.S. sanctions and has retaliated with actions against U.S. diplomacy abroad. The country's expelled diplomats and implemented a requirement that America get rid of all non-American staff at its embassies in Russia by August 1, which could make it very difficult for the facilities to operate.

As Lavrov and Blinken were meeting, Biden informed Congress of new sanctions he was putting on Russia over a pipeline that would run from the Russian Arctic to Germany. While Biden targeted eight Russian companies and vessels, he decided to waive sanctions against the Russian company overseeing the project and its CEO, Matthias Warnig, a former East German Stasi and longtime ally of Putin's.

A State Department report determined that both the Russian company and Warnig engaged in sanctionable behavior, according to NBC News but would not be penalized because it was in the U.S.' best national interest.

When asked if Biden would meet with Putin when he travels to Europe in June, he told reporters it was his "hope and expectation."