WASHINGTON, May 23. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden said that talks with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on raising the national debt ceiling were productive, with discussions to continue despite ‘areas of disagreement’.

"I just concluded a productive meeting with [House] Speaker [Kevin] McCarthy about the need to prevent default and avoid a catastrophe for our economy. We reiterated once again that default is off the table and the only way to move forward is in good faith toward a bipartisan agreement," the US president said in a statement.

Biden pointed out that "while there are areas of disagreement, the Speaker and I, and his lead negotiators Chairman McHenry and Congressman Graves, and our staffs will continue to discuss the path forward."