Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that his country would “break the teeth” of those who seek to seize a part of its territory or its resources..

Taking advantage of a telematic meeting of the Victory Committee, a consultative body dedicated to the patriotic education of the population, the president remarked that having a strong Army is a guarantee that no one will be able to take over part of Russia's territory.

The Russian leader believes that as soon as Russia becomes stronger, “reasons will immediately appear to restrict its development”. “Everyone wants to bite us somewhere or bite off a part of our territory, it seems that Russia is too big for the taste of some,” Putin lamented.. His words come hours after a timid approach by the heads of the US and Russian Foreign Affairs, Antony Blinken and Serguei Lavrov, respectively.

“I met today with Minister Lavrov to test the proposal for more stable and predictable relations with Moscow,” Blinken wrote on his Twitter account.. As expected, the US representative reiterated the rejection of Russian actions against Ukraine, the Kremlin's harassment of foreign media in Russia and the measures against Russian opponent Alexei Navalny.

“Secretary Blinken raised our deep concern about Russia's continued military deployments in and near Ukraine,” the US State Department said in a statement tonight.

Lavrov described his meeting with Blinken in Reykjavik as “constructive”. “We talked longer than planned, for an hour and forty minutes, and the conversation seemed constructive to me,” said the Russian foreign minister, who believes that the two countries “understand the need to overcome the difficult situation in which relations of Moscow and Washington”. Shortly before the meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry had criticized the US's lack of clarity when setting out an agenda for the meeting.

Blinken and Lavrov held their first date taking advantage of the Arctic Council ministerial meeting in Reykjavik. Before kicking off their meeting after a nod, the two spoke briefly to reporters and emphasized their “differences.”. The meeting lasted a little less than two hours.. It ended without agreements or clashes, but with a certain feeling of relaxation. They discussed cooperation on issues such as Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. Other issues on the table were guaranteeing humanitarian access to the population in Syria and finding a long-term solution to end the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.. The US diplomatic chief also called for the release of several Americans detained in Russia.

In their appointment, foreign officials have tried to pave the way for a future meeting of presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. And they agreed to continue the talks in the future.

Controversial Nord Stream pipeline

Despite the positive tone, relations are going badly between the two countries. While the meeting was taking place, the United States imposed sanctions on 13 ships and entities involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, an agreement that the US president has opposed.. However, the Biden administration decided to wink at Moscow and not sanction the company behind the infrastructure and its CEO.. Before the announcement, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Riabkov had said that waiving those sanctions would help normalize ties between Moscow and Washington.

The Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, indicated in a statement that this measure was adopted “in the national interest” of the US, although he also warned that the United States continues to oppose this infrastructure.

As reported by Reuters, a State Department official said the pipeline came up in talks but was not the subject of extensive discussion.. Currently Russian gas has to pass through Ukraine on its way to EU countries. With the new pipeline Russia would have direct access to Europe. But the pipeline raises concerns in several countries that it increases dependence on Moscow to supply energy to the European Union and downgrades the importance of peace and security in Ukraine.

For its part, Russia has given the US until August 1 to get rid of all non-US personnel at its diplomatic missions, something the US says will make it nearly impossible for its facilities to function.

Tensions between the Kremlin and the White House increased this year after Biden described Putin as a “murderer”, after which Moscow called its ambassador to Washington for consultations, who has not yet returned to the US.