Biden says he hopes to meet Putin during his trip to Europe this July 

President Joe Biden said Tuesday his staff is working to arrange an in-person summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin pegged around his scheduled trip to Europe.

Biden is set to meet with leaders of the G7 group in Cornwall, England June 11-13, followed by a stop in Brussels for the annual NATO summit June 14th.

‘That is my hope and expectation. We’re working on it,’ Biden said following remarks about encouraging people to get the coronavirus vaccine when asked about meeting Putin.

President Joe Biden said it is his ‘hope and expectation’ he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during an upcoming trip to Europe – although aides have not arranged a summit yet 

Until Monday, his aides have dodged questions about specific plans for a meeting.

Biden’s meeting with Putin, which would be his first as president, come at a tense time.

His administration slapped sanctions on a number of Russian figures and entities last month after concluding a lengthy review of Russian activities from election interference to the SolarWinds hack.

We’re working on it,’ Biden said, when asked Tuesday about meeting with Putin

President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they hold a joint news conference after their meeting in Helsinki, Finland July 16, 2018

The U.S. slapped sanctions on Russians in response to the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny

This handout photo taken from a video released on Friday, April 23, 2021 by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service shows, Russian troops board landing vessels after drills in Crimea. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on Thursday ordered troops back to their permanent bases after a massive military buildup that caused Ukrainian and Western concerns

The sanctions were in response to ‘Russia’s harmful foreign activities,’ the White House said. The administration also admitted it did not have high confidence in an other allegation, that Russia put bounties on U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan.

Earlier, the U.S. sanctioned Russians and entities over the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny with the nerve agent novichock.

U.S. and Russian officials have been working on a potential meeting in a third country.

Biden’s predecessor was dogged by a probe fo connections between his campaign aides and Russia throughout his presidency, and held an infamous summit with Putin in Helsinki. Trump faced blowback at the time for appearing to accept Putin’s denial of interfering in the 2016 presidential elections.