Face-to-face meeting between Biden-Putin 'unlikely', says US State Secretary Antony Blinken

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Photo: AFP

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said that a face-to-face meeting between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin is "pretty unlikely" after the Russian leader requested for a meeting following their video conference last week.

As per Blinken who appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" where host Chuck Todd asked what it would take for Biden to have a one-on-one meeting with Putin, he said that it would not take place as Russia continues to build up its military along its border with Ukraine, reported The Hill.

"What we are looking to see from Russia -- and, again, not just us but allies and partners in Europe -- we're looking to see de-escalation," said Blinken.

"We're looking to see Russia pull back forces from the border. And we're looking to see Russia engage in good faith in diplomacy and diplomatic dialogue with the Europeans, with Ukraine to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine and to give Ukraine its borders back. That's what we're looking to see," added Blinken.

On Sunday, the Kremlin said that both Biden and Putin had agreed to more talks going forward during their video call. According to Russian media, Putin told Biden, "[We will] definitely see each other, I would really want that to happen."

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