Russia would consider Putin-Biden meeting at G20

Moscow, Oct 11

Moscow would not turn down a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, at the G20 meeting next month, as per Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, media reports said.

Moscow was open to talks with the west on the Ukraine war but had yet to receive any "serious offers" to negotiate, Lavrov said in an interview on Russian state television, The Guardian reported.

He said US officials including the White House's national security spokesperson, John Kirby, had said the US was willing to engage in discussions but Russia had refused.

Lavrov said: "This is a lie. We have not received any serious offers to make contact."

He suggested Russia was willing to listen to any suggestions regarding peace talks. "We have repeatedly said that we never refuse meetings. If there is a proposal, then we will consider it."

About the possibility that Turkey could host talks between Russia and the west, Lavrov said Moscow would be willing to listen to any suggestions but could not say in advance whether this would lead to results, The Guardian reported.

He said Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, would have the opportunity to put forward proposals to Putin when both visit Kazakhstan this week.

Lavrov also claimed the US had long been involved in the war in Ukraine, which he said was "being controlled by the Anglo-Saxons".

The Kremlin has confirmed that President Putin will meet his Turkish counterpart, Erdogan, on Thursday to discuss Ukraine.

The meeting will take place in Astana, Kazakhstan, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Peskov had told reporters on Monday that it was "possible" the two leaders would discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the west on peace in Ukraine, The Guardian reported.

The pair will meet on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in the Kazakhstan capital.

They last met in mid-September in Uzbekistan on the sidelines of a summit of the leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.