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Ukrainian leader Zelensky says ready to meet with US President Biden before June 16

"I believe such consultations should happen face-to-face, because many things just cannot be discussed over the phone," Ukrainian President noted

WASHINGTON, June 7. /TASS/. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky is ready to meet with US President Joe Biden before American-Russian summit in Geneva on June 16, but such talks may be impossible due to 'a tight schedule of the US leader,' according to US-based Axios website.

"I believe such consultations should happen face-to-face, because many things just cannot be discussed over the phone," Zelensky said in an interview with Axios. "I understand that due to the US President’s pre-existing plans and his tight schedule they might well not happen, but that choice will be only his to make."

"As the guarantor of the Constitution of Ukraine, I myself am ready to defend Ukraine at any moment and at any spot of the planet, I am ready to meet with him and discuss all those details before his meeting [with Russian President Vladimir Putin]," the Ukrainian president said.

Zelensky also said that the US administration’s representatives did not have consultations with the Ukrainian authorities ahead of the upcoming US-Russia summit.

"Not yet, and I believe that it is up to them," the Ukrainian president said. "However, I do think that it would be a big mistake [not to]."

The Putin-Biden summit in Geneva will be the first top-level meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers since July 2018, when the Russian head of state met with then US President Donald Trump in Helsinki.

According to the Kremlin, the two presidents intend to deliberate on the current state of and prospects for Russian-US relations, strategic stability, as well as pressing global issues, including cooperation in the fight against the pandemic and regulating regional conflicts. On May 30, Biden said that he planned to raise the issue of human rights violations at the Geneva summit.

Middle East conflict

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Israel steps up readiness for potential Iranian strike — report

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Azerbaijan, Iran hold joint naval drills in Caspian Sea

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Ukrainian lawmaker Bezuglaya calls out ‘catastrophic situation’ in country’s army

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US-led coalition aircraft violate Syrian airspace eight times in past day

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Ukrainian ombudsman asks Russia to provide lists of Ukrainians POWs for exchange

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BRICS to consider expanding group in 2025 — Lavrov

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Kiev wants to exchange only militants from its nationalist battalions — Russian diplomat

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Russian, Azerbaijani prime ministers discuss current issues of cooperation over phone

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North Korea probably launched ballistic missile, Japan’s coast guard says

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Final poll by NBC shows equal support for Harris, Trump in US presidential election

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Russian diplomat says Ukraine took back just 279 POWs, although 935 were offered

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called such actions of the Kiev regime "political tourism on the blood of its own citizens, its own servicemen"

New Russian combat equipment in 2024

Russia’s Medvedev cautions next US leader against adding fuel to fire in Ukraine

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Russian forces destroy US-made Stryker armored fighting vehicle in Kharkov Region

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Ukraine admits number of deserted soldiers from Armed Forces of Ukraine surpasses 100,000

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Syria demands UNSC take measures to stop Israel’s attacks

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Gazprom supplies 42.1 mln cubic meters of gas to Europe via Ukraine

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Kursk region will be cleared of Ukrainian forces — Putin

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Southern sector of Ukrainian defense in DPR close to collapse — The Guardian

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Trump catches up with Harris in latest poll before election — The New York Post poll

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Ukrainians do not want war with Russia, but US keeps them trapped — expert

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Israel hits Hezbollah intelligence headquarters near Damascus — IDF

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NATO intends to fight 'defensive battles' thousands of miles from its territory — Lavrov

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Russian Air Defense Forces shot down four HIMARS missiles, Hammer bomb, 42 Ukrainian UAVs

Russia’s East battlegroup improves its position, Ukraine loses up to 110 servicemen

Putin plans to discusses rural development with government

The Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut and the Governor of the Altai Territory Viktor Tomenko will make a report

US to hold 60th election of president, vice president on Tuesday

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Industrial facility suffers damage in Ukraine’s Dnepropetrovsk Region

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Putin meets with visiting North Korean foreign minister — Kremlin spokesman

On November 1, Choe Son Hui held talks with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov

Soyuz-2.1b blasts off from Vostochny spaceport carrying 55 Russian, foreign satellites

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Plane with 103 Russian POWs lands near Moscow

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Events in Bangladesh show similarities with color revolutions — Indian expert

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Kremlin spokesman denies Russia ships explosives across EU

"We have never heard any official accusations," Dmitry Peskov said

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Attempts to destroy Iran’s nuclear capacity may expand conflict — top Turkish diplomat

According to Fidan, Israel continues to put forward conditions in talks with the Palestinian movement Hamas

At least 70 people killed in Gaza over past 24 hours — TV

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Ukrainian forces lose 11,800 soldiers on LPR borders in a week — military expert

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Fencing installed around Harris’ residence in Washington ahead of election

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Moscow bars over 130 Australians from entering Russia — Foreign Ministry

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Hezbollah fires 105 rockets from Lebanon at Israel on November 3 — IFD

The army "will continue to protect Israel and its people from threats" from Hezbollah, the press service noted

Georgian opposition plans to disrupt first session of newly-elected parliament

He called on the opposition to hold a rally on November 21, when the Central Electoral Commission is to release the final protocol of the parliamentary election

US State Department says 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk Region

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Press review: Putin highlights GDP growth while the Russian military claims top rank

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For US losing dollar as a standard of settlements would be like losing a war, Trump says

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Moldova’s opposition to challenge presidential election results with Constitutional Court

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US citizen who shared data on Ukrainian military with Russian army wants to stay in Russia

Daniel Martindale noted that after peace is restored, he would like to go back to farming

US warns it won’t be able to restrain Israel if Iran attacks — report

An Israeli official said the message was passed from Washington to Tehran through the Swiss

Russian forces liberate settlement of Vishnyovoye in Donetsk People’s Republic

Russian-North Korean partnership treaty called to stabilize region — Russian diplomat

"The treaty’s provisions, including article 4 on mutual support in case of an armed incursion, will be fully implemented, if need be," Anna Yevstigneyeva said

Malaysia rejects US call to 'stop being friendly' with Russia — PM

Anwar Ibrahim said the call came during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos