US, Russia to enter ‘strategic stability’ dialogue: Biden

Human rights, nuclear weapons control, de-escalating conflicts in Syria, Afghanistan, Iran and Ukraine top Biden agenda.

United States President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have agreed to engage in a bilateral dialogue on “strategic stability” aimed at reducing the risks of unintentional conflict and restrain nuclear weapons, Biden said in a news conference in Geneva on Wednesday. Speaking after a three-hour series of meetings, Biden said he urged Putin to respect human rights and political freedoms in Russia and asked him to reopen humanitarian corridors in Syria to allow delivery of food and cooperate in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Biden said he had expressed an “unwavering commitment to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine” and discussed the US and Russia’s shared interest in preventing “a resurgence of terrorism in Afghanistan”.