FirstFT: ‘I am prepared to speak’ to Putin about ending Ukraine war, says Biden
US president Joe Biden has said he is “prepared to speak with” Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine if Russia’s leader shows an interest in bringing the nine-month conflict to an end.
“I am prepared to speak with Mr Putin if in fact there is an interest in him deciding he is looking for a way to end the war,” Biden said, adding that he would only do so after consulting Nato allies.
The remarks, made at a press conference in Washington, DC, during a bilateral summit with Emmanuel Macron, president of France, mark the furthest Biden has gone in expressing an openness to discuss the war with Putin.
The US president said he had “no immediate plans” to contact Russia’s leader, adding that he had not seen any indications from Putin that he was willing to bring the war to an end.
“He hasn’t done that yet. If that’s the case, in consultation with my French and Nato friends, I’ll be happy to sit down with Putin to see what he has in mind,” Biden said.
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