Cyberattacks and climate change are among the subjects  US President Joe Biden will discuss with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House, along with other topics , regarding how to reinforce transatlantic security in the face of challenges from Russia and China,”  the White House said.

The meeting, which will be held on Monday ahead of the upcoming June 14 NATO summit in Brussels, comes against the backdrop of unprecedented tensions between the West and Russia over a range of issues, including developments in Ukraine, allegations of Russian interfering in US elections, and cyberwarfare.

After the NATO summit, Biden plans a face-to-face meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to be held in Geneva.

“The president expects to raise a number of issues, including Ukraine and what we’ve seen as aggressive behavior at the border by the Russians,” Psaki said.

Biden proposed the meeting in April, offering to meet Putin in a third country to discuss rising tensions between the two Cold War adversaries.

Bilateral relations hit a new low in March after Biden said in an interview that he believed Putin was a “killer” and that the Russian president would have to “pay a price” for interfering in the 2020 US presidential election.

In addition, Biden will also press Putin on recent cyberattacks that US officials have said originated from Russia, including the SolarWinds hack and recent ransomware incidents.

“We expect there to be challenging conversations moving forward, but it’s an opportunity to discuss areas where we have mutual interest like nuclear security and stability,” the White House spokesperson said.

The Kremlin earlier cautioned against “inflated expectations” about the upcoming meeting between the two leaders. AA