Putin, Biden discuss Ukraine, bilateral ties, Iran during online summit

Moscow (Russia), December 8: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden discussed the Ukrainian crisis, bilateral relations and the Iran nuclear deal as they met via video link on Tuesday.
The leaders mainly focused on the internal crisis in Ukraine during their second talks in six months, the Kremlin said in a statement.
Putin, using specific examples, explained to Biden "the destructive policy" of the Ukrainian authorities and expressed his "serious concern about Kiev's provocative actions against Donbass."
According to the Kremlin, Biden emphasized the allegedly "threatening" nature of the movements of Russian troops near the Ukrainian borders and outlined sanctions that the United States and its allies would be ready to apply in the event of a further escalation of the situation.
In response, Putin stressed that it is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) that is making dangerous attempts to "conquer Ukrainian territory" and is building up its military potential near the Russian borders.
Putin asked Biden for the guarantee that NATO will not expand in the eastern direction and not deploy offensive weapons near Russia.
To create conditions for mending bilateral ties, Putin offered Biden to lift all the accumulated restrictions on the functioning of Russian and U.S. diplomatic missions.
The presidents expressed hope that the resumed negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program will be held in a constructive spirit.
They also voiced readiness to jointly combat cybercrimes.
Putin and Biden agreed that the two countries will continue dialogue and necessary contacts.
Source: Xinhua