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Biden, Macron condemn Russia invasion of Ukraine at White House meeting

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2022.

02 December 2022 03:22 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron presented a united front on Ukraine on Thursday at the White House, and Biden said he would talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin, if he was willing to end the invasion, APA reports citing Reuters.

Biden has resisted talking to Putin since the Russian leader launched the invasion in February, while Macron has kept lines of communication with Putin open.

"I'm prepared, if he's willing to talk, (to) find out what he's willing to do." Biden told a joint news conference with Macron.

But Biden said he would only do this in consultation with his NATO allies and would do nothing that would harm Ukrainian interests. "I'm not going to do it on my own," he said.

Biden is playing host to Macron for the first state visit since the U.S. president took power in early 2021. Besides pledging support for Ukraine, the two leaders sought ways to ease some economic tensions in Oval Office tensions.