Moscow Rejects Biden’s Demand for Full Territorial Withdrawal

French President Emmanuel Macron with U.S. President Joe Biden at the conclusion of their joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 1, 2022. Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

The Kremlin has rejected U.S. President Joe Biden’s condition for holding bilateral talks—namely, the full withdrawal from Ukrainian territories incorporated by Russia two months ago.

“President Putin was, is, and will be open to contacts for talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Dec. 2. “Certainly, the preferred path for securing our interest is peaceful diplomacy.”