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Putin to decide on Biden summit after weighing Lavrov-Blinken meeting result, says Kremlin

The assessment work is still in progress, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Mikhail Metzel/TASS

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Mikhail Metzel/TASS

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a decision on a potential summit with his US counterpart Joe Biden after assessing the outcome of the meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Thursday.

"Work on the assessment is still in progress, so the outcome of Lavrov’s meeting with Blinken is being analyzed, then the president will make a decision," he assured.

The Russian presidential spokesman described the Reykjavik-hosted talks between Lavrov and Blinken as a positive sign. "The very fact of the meeting, which Lavrov said was constructive, is also a positive development. However, obviously the process won’t be easy, and indeed numerous problems have piled up," Peskov noted. "But at least, yesterday’s talks between the Russian minister and the US Secretary of State will certainly be helpful during the analysis, which Moscow is conducting on the issue of the meeting between the two presidents," he added.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, Lavrov immediately reported the results of his meeting with Washington’s top diplomat to Putin.

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