Kremlin says Putin-Biden summit could take place online due to COVID

MOSCOW: A possible summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden could take place online, depending on recommendations by epidemiologists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, according to news agency Interfax.

On Thursday, Putin is due to meet UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a video summit, although Guterres is currently in Moscow.

Peskov said the decision to meet online was due to the pandemic and recommendations by experts. The president, who has already been vaccinated against Covid-19, needed to heed all precautions, the Kremlin said.

Biden had proposed to Putin they meet in a third country, possible somewhere in Europe this summer, as tensions between Russia and the United States are running high.