Russian and US diplomats held talks in Geneva on Thursday, the latest round of discussions aimed at easing tensions between the world's top two nuclear powers.

US State Department number two Wendy Sherman and Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov were due to meet for most of the day in what the US mission in Geneva hoped would be "productive talks."

According to the Swiss news agency ATS, the two sides were expected to discuss disarmament, new technologies, space, and artificial intelligence.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden met in a high-profile summit where they agreed that it was critical to keep talking despite their differences.

The summit ended with the conclusion of an extended bilateral discussion that included top aides, according to a White House official, adding that there was only one enlarged bilateral discussion.

Putin: "Political leaders are responsible" 

During a news conference after the summit,  Putin said that "the United States declared Russia its enemy, as did the Congress in 2017." He further asked, "What organizations does Washington support in Russia," if the US administration declared his country an enemy?

Talks between the leaders of Russia and the United States started in Geneva https://t.co/a9x4qrlSIn pic.twitter.com/tYMxQmmqwQ

— President of Russia (@KremlinRussia_E) June 16, 2021

If Russia is an enemy of the United States, then the American-backed organizations in Russia will be hostile to Moscow," Putin added.

He stressed that everything that is happening in the US and Russia is the responsibility of political leaders.