Biden-Putin meeting set for June 16 in Geneva

President Joe Biden will meet face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time as commander in chief next month.

The rivals will meet on June 16 in Geneva, Switzerland, as part of Biden's first presidential trip abroad to the United Kingdom and Europe, according to the White House.

"The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the U.S.-Russia relationship," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday in a statement.

The meeting comes after Russian-based cybercriminal group DarkSide launched a ransomware attack on a major U.S. pipeline managed by Colonial Pipeline and following the Biden administration rolling out a slew of sanctions on Russia for allegedly undermining U.S. elections, other cyberattacks against the U.S. government and companies, and its treatment of dissidents and journalists, such as Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. 

Biden also expelled 10 Washington-based Russian diplomats, some of whom the White House contends were spies.

Biden has indicated he wants a "stable and predictable" relationship with Putin but has warned the Russian leader he is prepared to introduce harsher penalties in response to future aggressive behavior. The two have already spoken on the phone twice since Biden's inauguration.

Biden is flying to the United Kingdom next month to participate in the G-7 Summit from June 11-13 and sideline meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and other world leaders. He will then travel to Brussels, Belgium, for the NATO Summit on June 14 before a separate U.S.–European Union Summit.