US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last Thursday that after their Geneva Summit earlier this summer, there would be continued contact and engagement at a high level. She did not rule out the US President speaking with the Russian President at some point in the future. 

Relations between Russia and the West were at a multi-year low and getting worse in recent weeks as Ukraine and NATO members grew increasingly concerned about a Russian military buildup near the Ukrainian border. Russia said it needs to ensure its own national security after NATO's repeated unplanned exercises and flights of strategic aircraft near Russia's borders.