Biden, Putin likely to hold summit in Geneva

Citing sources familiar with the matter, several media outlets said that the Swiss city of Geneva is expected to be the venue for Biden's first in-person meeting with Putin as president, Xinhuanet reported.

The reports came as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held consultations with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev. "The meeting was an important step in the preparation for a planned US-Russia summit, the date, and location of which will be announced later," the White House said in a statement.

The meeting between Sullivan and Patrushev was "constructive" despite "outstanding differences," according to the statement. The two officials also discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest, with a high priority given to the topic of strategic stability.

"The sides agreed that a normalization of US-Russian relations would be in the interest of both countries and contribute to global predictability and stability," it added.

Biden said earlier this month that he expected to meet with Putin during his trip to Europe in June, when he would attend the Group of Seven Summit in Britain and then the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium. 

HJ/PR