Translated material
Biden called Putin and offered to meet
US President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the White House said.
During the conversation, Biden expressed concern about the sudden buildup of military presence "in occupied Crimea" and on the border with Ukraine and called on Putin to ease tensions. Biden said the United States supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Biden also proposed to Putin to hold a high-level summit in a third country in the coming months “to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia.”
The American president also told Putin that the United States intends to defend its interests in response to Russian actions, such as cyberattacks and election interference.
As specified in the Kremlin, the conversation took place at the initiative of the American side. The press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov told Kommersant that the proposal for a meeting between the leaders of Russia and the United States "will be studied."
After the news of Biden's call to Putin, the Russian ruble exchange ratestrengthened significantly against the dollar and the euro. Thus, half an hour after the White House press release, the ruble rose by 1.53 rubles against the dollar.