Biden sets condition for meeting Putin at G20 summit, says does not plan to meet him

US President Joe Biden has set conditions for meeting his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia saying he has “no intention” of discussing Ukraine with him.

“Look, I have no intention of meeting with him. But for example, if he came to me at the G20 and said ‘I want to talk about the release of [Brittney] Griner,’ I’d meet with him. I mean, it would depend,” Biden said Wednesday during a CNN interview, referring to a US women’s Basketball star was detained at a Moscow airport in February for drugs possession.

The US president went on to claim that neither he, “nor is anyone else” would negotiate with Russia about anything related to Ukraine, accusing Putin of committing “war crimes” and saying, “I don’t see any rationale to meet with him now.”

The two leaders have not spoken to each other directly since before Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in late February.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier that Moscow would not turn down a meeting between Putin and Biden during the summit, if there is a proposal.

He also rejected remarks by White House national security spokesman John Kirby, who had claimed earlier the US administration was open to talks but that Russia had refused.

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

Lavrov further pointed out that Moscow was willing to engage with the United States or with Turkey on ways to end the war, but had yet to receive any serious proposal to negotiate.

The development came a day after the Kremlin warned Washington against supplying advanced air defense systems to Ukraine, saying the move will only exacerbate the conflict, which is now in its eighth month.

Russia warns of 'countermeasure' as Biden vows advanced missile systems to Ukraine

Russia vows response to the West’s growing involvement in the Ukrainian conflict after US President Joe Biden said Washington will provide the war-torn country with advanced air systems.

Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov declared on Tuesday that the continuation of US weapon supplies to Ukraine "will only drag the conflict out and make it more painful for the Ukrainian side, but it will not change our goals and the end result."

Biden had pledged to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday that Washington had agreed to his request to provide advanced air defense systems.

The US has supplied Kiev with more than $16.8 billion worth of security assistance since Russia began what it described at a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24 in reaction to NATO’s plans to further expand towards Russian borders.

Earlier this month, Moscow warned that Washington would cross a "red line" and become "a party to the conflict" if it supplied Ukraine with longer-range missiles. The Pentagon, however, said late last month that it was committed to sending another 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine.

The US has already delivered 16 of the systems, capable of hitting targets with a range of up to 300 kilometers, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.

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