Biden Sets Terms for Talks With Putin About Ukraine

Macron says he expects another conversation with Russian leader soon
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 1, 2022 7:20 PM CST
Biden: I'll Talk to Putin When He's Ready for Peace
President Biden speaks during a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

President Biden said Thursday he's willing to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin about stopping the fighting in Ukraine—under certain conditions he said Putin has not yet met. The president made the comments at the White House while hosting French President Emmanuel Macron. The war in Ukraine has been a major topic of discussion during the state visit, the Washington Post reports. "I'm prepared to speak with Mr. Putin if there is an interest in him deciding he's looking for a way to end the war," Biden said. At that point, he said, "I'll be happy to sit down with Mr. Putin to see what he has in mind. He hasn't done that."

The French president, on the other hand, has talked to Putin repeatedly, and Macron told ABC's Good Morning America on Thursday that he plans to talk to him again soon. Macron said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appears willing to negotiate with Russia, though he said it's reasonable for Ukraine to similarly decide that Putin hasn't budged so far. The US and French leaders stressed their solidarity on helping Ukraine and commitment "to stand together against this brutality," Biden said. The two nations will support Ukrainiains, he said, "as they defend their homes and their families and their nurseries, their hospitals, their sovereignty, their integrity, and against Russian aggression." (More President Biden stories.)

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