By Nandita Bose
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss Belarus’ forced landing of a Ryanair plane and the detention of an opposition activist during next month’s summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday.
Psaki said Biden also plans to discuss Ukraine during the summit.
Republican lawmakers have criticized Biden for agreeing to meet the Russian leader despite his provocative behavior in the region. Psaki said the criticism was misguided.
“The president of the United States is not afraid to stand up to our adversaries and use a moment of in-person diplomacy to convey areas where he has concern and look for areas of opportunity to work together in areas where we have mutual agreement,” Psaki said.
(Reporting By Nandita Bose and Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
