The White House is contradicting reports that aides are trying to ensure President Joe Biden will not come into direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin at next month’s Group of 20 Summit in Indonesia.
“Those reports are not correct. They’re not true,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Wednesday of reports that staff are even attempting to avoid a hallway or group photo exchange.
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Biden indicated last week that he had “no intention” to meet with Putin unless, for example, the strongman wanted to discuss WNBA player Brittney Griner and other Americans detained in Russia.
Jean-Pierre was similarly asked about how Biden intends to hold the Western alliance around Ukraine together as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) warns a Republican-controlled Congress would not continue providing the war-torn country with a “blank check.”
“He has been rallying support for Ukraine these past several months,” she said. “He was on the phone with G-7 and also [Ukrainian] President [Volodymyr] Zelensky last week, again, rallying support. I don’t have anything specific to share about the G-20.”
The U.S., as well as key Western allies and partners, have been contending with inflation, including rising gas prices, a pandemic-era trend perpetuated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Biden announced earlier Wednesday he will release 15 million barrels of oil from the Ameriocan strategic reserve after OPEC+ decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day starting next month.
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Jean-Pierre distanced the two developments, asserting Biden made the move because he believes the cost of gas is “still too high, even though we have seen them come down.”
