US, Russia seek to ease tensions in first meeting of Biden administration

REYKJAVIK: The US and Russian foreign ministers sought Wednesday to ease tensions in their first meeting since President Joe Biden took office, saying they were ready to cooperate but issuing firm warnings reflecting the wide gulf between the rival powers.

Despite the many "differences", "our view is that if the leaders of Russia and the United States can work together cooperatively the world can be a safer and more secure place," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at the start of talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Reykjavik, aimed in part at confirming a potential summit between presidents Biden and Vladimir Putin.

"But if Russia acts aggressively against us, our partners, our allies, we will respond," Blinken said, reiterating that Washington wants a "predictable and stable" relationship with Moscow.

"We are ready to discuss all issues without exception if we understand that discussions will be honest and based on mutual trust," Lavrov responded.

The statements preceding the face-to-face talks on the sidelines of the Arctic Council meeting in Iceland do not bode well for the de-escalation of tensions that both countries say they want, with relations at their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

Blinken called for Arctic -- a new geopolitical issue at the heart of the regional meeting Wednesday and Thursday in Reykjavik -- to become a laboratory for cooperation focused on common challenges such as the fight against global warming.

But Lavrov issued a strongly worded warning on Monday.

"It has been absolutely clear for everyone for a long time that this is our territory, this is our land," Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow.

The Russian foreign minister at the same time accused Norway of "trying to justify the need for NATO to come into the Arctic".

He insisted Russian military activity in the region is "absolutely legal".

The Russian warning inevitably drew a response from Blinken, who on Tuesday stressed that Washington wanted to "avoid a militarisation" of the Arctic.

"We have concerns about some of the increased military activities in the Arctic. That increases the dangers or prospects of accidents," Blinken said.

On Wednesday, during a meeting with his Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau, Blinken stressed his country's desire "to preserve this region as a place for peaceful cooperation," on such issues as climate change, science and sustainable development.