Washington, June 9 (TIWN) The White House considers the planned meeting between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on June 16 Geneva both necessary and important.

Biden's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in Washington on Monday that the US President was meeting his Russian counterpart not "despite" but precisely because of the two countries' differences, reports dpa news agency.  "We do not regard a meeting with the Russian president as a reward. We regard it as a vital part of defending America's interests and America's values," Sullivan said.  The meeting will be taking place after Biden will have consulted with the heads of state and government of the G7 countries, NATO and the EU in the days before.  The timing for the summit with Putin could therefore hardly be better.