The US and NATO agree to 'contain' Russia.

"We discussed a range of issues: Russia, China, international terrorism, cybersecurity threats, and climate change," he said after the talks.

According to Stoltenberg, he and President Biden agreed that policy toward Russia must be two-pronged: "external defense and dialogue." He also welcomed the US President's decision to meet with leaders of NATO member states before his talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"Dialogue with Russia is not a sign of weakness. We are strong, we are united. We need to talk to Russia. Even if we don't believe we can have a better relationship with Russia, we should still address these complex issues," he concluded.

Earlier, Stoltenberg said that the meeting between Presidents Putin and Biden served NATO's interests.

Earlier, in an article published in The Washington Post, Biden himself stated that Washington was not seeking conflict with Moscow, but rather wanted to maintain stable relations; however, he also indicated a willingness to respond to perceived challenges to European security.

The White House said on Tuesday that Washington views the upcoming talks in Geneva not as an encouragement to Russia, but as a measure to protect U.S. interests.

"President Joe Biden's meeting with Vladimir Putin was not in defiance of the differences between our two countries, but rather it was precisely because of those differences that the meeting took place," said U.S. President's National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

The meeting between Putin and Biden is scheduled to take place on June 16th in Geneva, preceded by the US President's participation in summits with the EU and NATO.