BERLIN, May 25. /TASS/: German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday she would be glad if Russian and US Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, finally hold a personal meeting.
"People may have opposite opinions and, despite this, they can speak and meet with each other," she said. "We do it with the Russian president. We can promote our European interests in dialogue with the Russian president much better. I would be glad if it comes to such a meeting."
"Such meetings were held in all times, even during the cold war. Diplomacy will have a chance for success only in dialogue with each other," she added.
Earlier on Tuesday, both the Kremlin and the White House said that the Putin-Biden summit would take place in Geneva on June 16. According to the Kremlin press service, the presidents will discuss the current state of and prospects for further development of the Russian-US relations, problems of strategic stability, as well as current issues of the international agenda, including cooperation in combating the coronavirus pandemic and settlement of regional conflicts. It will be the first personal meeting between the two leaders since the 46th US president entered the Oval Office. It will also be Putin’s first foreign visit since January 2020, when he visited Israel and Palestine.
