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Putin-Biden talks lasting for over one hour

According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the conversation will last "as long as it takes"

SOCHI/WASHINGTON, December 7. /TASS/. Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, have been holding talks in the videoconference format for more than an hour.

The talks began at about 18:08 Moscow time. According to Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, the talks might be quite lengthy. The conversation will last "as long as it takes," he said, adding that such talks have no precise timing.

At the beginning of the talks, the presidents exchanged greetings and Biden was the first to speak. He expressed the hope for a meeting with the Russian leader in person in the future.

According to TV footage, both presidents are sitting at their tables. The talks are held behind closed doors with consecutive interpreting.

The agenda includes the situation in Ukraine and NATO’s eastwards expansion, strategic stability and bilateral topics. The two leaders are also expected to touch upon issues of regional security, including the situation in Afghanistan.

The talks are being held via a secure videoconference channel set up especially for their video contact. This channel has never been used before.

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