US, Russia Ambassadors Return To Posts; Talks “Constructive”
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – Russian President Vladimir Putin says he and U.S. President Joe Biden have agreed to return their ambassadors to their posts in a bid to lower tensions.
He also suggested a possible prisoners exchange saying he spoke with Biden about Russians in American prisons and U.S. citizens held in Russia. The president said that both sides “work on a compromise.”
Putin spoke after a summit with Biden in Geneva, Switzerland. The return of ambassadors follows a diplomatic tug-of-war that saw deep cuts in diplomatic personnel.
Russia’s ambassador to the U.S., Anatoly Antonov, was recalled from Washington about three months ago after Biden described Putin as “a killer.” U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan left Moscow almost two months ago after Russia suggested he returns to Washington for consultations.
However, speaking Wednesday, Putin described the tone of the talks with U.S. President Biden on Wednesday as “constructive” and said there was no hostility during the negotiations.
He defended a reported crackdown on groups related to jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny saying they were working in the interest of the U.S.
“The United States has adopted a law which says it supports several organizations. It has declared Russia as an adversary. We call them foreign agents. The organization you mentioned [related to Navalny] have called for mass unrest.” He added that the United States saw violence around the Black Lives Matter movement and the storming of the U.S. Capitol. “We sympathize with the United States, but we don’t want that to happen on our territory.”
He confirmed that U.S. media outlets Radio Free Europe and the Voice of America were identified as foreign agents as they were in his view violating Russian law. Putin said the U.S. had taken similar action against Russian outlets.
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