ST. PETERSBURG, June 4. /TASS/. Mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests serve as a necessary condition for the improvement of the Russian-US relations. On the other hand, attempts at diktat or mentoring are doomed to fail, as they may disrupt the dynamic of establishing dialogue, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Channel One on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

He reminded that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in favor of improving the current state of relations between Russia and the US. "However, the only thing that makes it possible is prioritizing mutual respect and considering each other’s interests," the spokesman stressed.

He added that "it will be impossible [for the countries] to build any relations without it." "Any attempts at diktat or mentoring are doomed to fail, and what is more, they will disrupt the hesitant dynamic towards establishing some kind of dialogue," the Kremlin official concluded.

Earlier, the Kremlin and the White House announced that the much-awaited summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden would take place in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 16. This will be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and Biden since the 46th US president took office. It will also be the first Russian-US summit since July 2018, when Putin met with then US President Donald Trump in Helsinki, Finland.

According to the Kremlin, the heads of state will discuss the conditions and prospects for further fostering Russian-US relations, strategic stability matters as well as pressing issues on the international agenda, which include cooperation in fighting the pandemic and regulating regional conflicts. On May 30, Biden stated that he plans to discuss the topic of human rights during the summit.