Will Biden Hold A Second Summit With Putin? Blinken Says It Is Possible

President Joe Biden may hold a second summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin if it will help prevent any new war in Ukraine, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday.

In an interview with ABC News from Geneva, Switzerland after meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Blinken explained the progress of negotiations between Washington and Moscow over Ukraine and NATO more broadly. He noted that there was no breakthrough achieved but instead insisted that there was still room for dialogue going forward.

"What we were doing is testing whether there was a path forward for diplomacy, for dialogue to resolve a dialogue that Russia has created by massing 100,000 forces on Ukraine's border," Blinken told ABC's George Stephanopoulos.

"We had an opportunity to look at where we can go next in this and we at least have some opportunity to work to resolve this diplomatically," he continued.

Blinken’s meeting came two days after President Biden sparked a frenzy by appearing to suggest a NATO response to Russian actions in Ukraine remains uncertain. In a marathon press conference to mark his first year in office, the president said that it was his belief that Putin would in fact invade Ukraine, something he said would result in “disaster” for Russia. In the same breath, Biden also suggested that a collective NATO response would be lesser if only a “minor incursion” took place.

These remarks were criticized in Ukraine for appearing to suggest Russia could get away with a limited military advance onto its territory. President Volodomyr Zelensky tweeted in response on Thursday that “There are no minor incursions Just as there are no minor casualties and little grief from the loss of loved ones.". Biden and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki backtracked the same day by clarifying a strong U.S response to any Russian advance on Ukraine.

Following his meeting with Lavrov, Blinken warned that a Russian invasion would be "met with a severe and a united response". In the months since Washington first suggested Moscow may be preparing to invade its neighbor, Blinken has been steadfast in his criticism of Russian threats and recriminations against both Kyiv and the collective West.

He has maintained that the crisis was one of Russia’s own design and how to end it depended on whether or not Putin wants to. Asked by Stephanopoulos if a second summit between Biden and Putin was in the works, Blinken confirmed it was a possibility.

"If it proves useful and productive for the two presidents to meet, to talk, to engage, to try to carry things forward, I think we're fully prepared to do that," Blinken said.

"That's certainly something we're prepared to do. Right now, the plan is to take stock of where we are next week after we share some ideas with Russia," he added.

Blinken was in Geneva as the final leg of his shuttle diplomacy between Ukraine and Germany, where he also met with his counterparts from France, Italy and the United Kingdom. Previous talks a week earlier between the U.S, NATO and Russia ended without a breakthrough.

However, Russia is willing to meet again with its U.S counterparts after it receives a written response to a series of proposals it issued after that week. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, and Blinken confirmed a response would be delivered by next week.