By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor For Dailymail.com
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The Biden administration is privately ruling out a meeting between the president and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit, with Russia‘s brutal war in Ukraine continuing to drive the countries apart.
The administration has never talked up the chance of a meeting, even after Putin, who Biden has called a ‘war criminal,’ indicated he planned to attend.
Biden kept the possibility of a narrow conversation alive last week, in comments that made clear he had no intention of opening up a broader discussion of the war, after Putin’s repeated comments attacking the US and relentless bombing of civilians in Ukraine.
The administration is working to prevent even a ‘sideline’ encounter between the president and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Bali, as Russia’s war on Ukraine rages
‘Look, I have no intention of meeting with him, but look, if he came to me at the G20 and said, ‘I want to talk about the release of [detained American Brittney] Griner,’ I would meet with him, but that would depend,’ Biden said.
Now, officials are going so far as to say they are seeking to discourage even a ‘sideline’ informal meeting with Putin, Politico reported.
U.S. officials have ‘ruled out’ a formal meeting with Putin, and are ‘taking steps’ to make sure they don’t bump into each other in a hallway or doing the typical ‘family photo.’
Putin himself was sounding bearish on the chances, as his military unleashed a wave of drone and rocket attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, drawing repeated condemnation from the West.
The Russian leader said Friday there was ‘no need’ to meet Biden and his own attendance was ‘not finalized’
The two men met at a villa in Geneva in June at the start of Biden’s presidency
Biden has called Putin a ‘murderous dictator,’ as well as a ‘pure thug’ and a ‘killer,’ but previously kept alive the possibility of talking to him about the release of WNBA star Brittney Griner
Indonesia announced Putin’s plans to attend
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, whose nation is not a member of the G20, said he would attend if Putin does
Russia continues to hit civilian targets in Ukraine
Ukraine and the U.S. have blasted what multiple videos and images reveal to be Russia’s use of Iranian-made drones
Biden is already likely to have an encounter with one dictator who he has called a top competitor to the U.S.: with China’s Xi Jinping, who is set to secure a third term at the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing after a decade in power.
Biden said last month he was open to meeting Xi. The two men spoke by phone in March, when the president warned Beijing it would face consequences if it propped up Russia’s invasion, and again in July.
Biden has called Putin a ‘murderous dictator,’ as well as a ‘pure thug’ and a ‘killer.’
Biden hasn’t gotten much mileage out of his last face-to-face meeting with an autocratic ruler. He took political hits for his ‘fist bump’ with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman last summer, but the Saudis infuriated the administration when OPEC+ voted to cut oil production – a move that helps Putin fund his war and kept oil prices higher weeks before the U.S. elections.
Indonesian President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo, whose nation hosts the summit, invited Putin and traveled to Moscow in June to extend the invitation in person.
After the insistence by the U.S. and other leaders, also invited Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky, whose nation is not a member. Zelensky said he would attend if Putin does.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group