President Joe Biden has not completely discounted the prospect of a meeting between himself and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G-20 summit next month in Indonesia.
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“That remains to be seen,” Biden told reporters Thursday on the White House’s South Lawn.
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White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre earlier declined to confirm a separate meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is also expected to attend the summit in Bali from Nov. 15-16.
Stopping to chat with members of the press en route to Marine One before a busy day of campaigning in New York and New Jersey, Biden expressed his disappointment regarding the decision by OPEC+ to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day from next month. Biden has directed Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm to explore domestic oil production options in response.
“We are looking at alternatives. We haven’t made up our minds yet,” he said Thursday of possible direct, congressional reactions to OPEC.
Biden also defended traveling to Saudi Arabia last summer given the Saudi-led cartel’s announcement. Gas prices had already started increasing, costing a nationwide average of $3.90 per gallon on Thursday.
“The trip was not essentially for oil,” Biden said. “The trip was about the Middle East and about Israel and rationalization of positions. But it is a disappointment and says that there are problems.”
Biden spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky this week after sending another $625 million security assistance package, which included four HIMARS, 32 Howitzers, and 200 mine-resistant vehicles.
Biden has criticized Putin for his efforts to annex contested Ukrainian territory after holding what the administration has described as “sham” referenda in four regions of the war-torn country’s east and south.
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“Russia is violating international law, trampling on the United Nations Charter, and showing its contempt for peaceful nations everywhere,” Biden wrote in a statement last week. “I urge all members of the international community to reject Russia’s illegal attempts at annexation and to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
