No sign of breakthrough in US-Russia ties: Polish deputy FM

US President Joe Biden’s first summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin does not herald a breakthrough in tense relations between their two countries, a Polish deputy foreign minister has said.

Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Joe Biden during the US-Russia summit in Geneva on Wednesday.

Photo: EPA/PETER KLAUNZER

Marcin Przydacz said: "In no way can we talk about a new era in US-Russian relations."

The American and Russian leaders described their first summit in Geneva on Wednesday as professional, rather than friendly, and said they agreed to hold lower-level talks on cybersecurity and arms control.

But there was no hiding their differences on issues such as human rights, the Reuters news agency reported.

Poland’s Przydacz said: "Unfortunately, we do not see any signals that the Russian Federation is ready to return to the path of respecting international law."

Poland, a staunch military ally of the United States, is strongly critical of Russia, its giant neighbour to the east, on a range of issues from Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine to the construction of the contested Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia to Germany.

 (pk/gs)

Source: PAP/Reuters