The hotline created by Russia and the United States remains, but Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden have not yet used it. This was announced in an interview with TASS by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
“Of course, if desired (the presidents of the two countries.— “uh”) can use (this line.— “uh”),” Peskov said. When asked if they had used it, he replied in the negative: “No.”
A hotline between the two countries was created after the Caribbean crisis for emergency talks between the leaders of the USSR and the USA. She has been working since August 30, 1963. In 2016, the media reported that then-US President Barack Obama used this line to discuss the situation with interference in the American elections, but the Kremlin said that the conversation was on the usual closed line.
Yesterday, February 21, Vladimir Putin, in a message to the Federal Assembly, announced the suspension of Russia’s participation in the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). He cited the US rejection of Russian applications under the agreement as one of the reasons. The US White House expressed its readiness to discuss START. The Kremlin said that no contacts between the presidents of the two countries are planned yet.
Details – in the material “Kommersant” “Joe Biden found himself in Warsaw.”